May is National Adolescent Health Month (NAHM). This month is an annual observance dedicated to supporting adolescents in leading healthy, fulfilling lives. NAHM highlights the interconnected domains of adolescent wellbeing: mental health, physical health, healthy relationships, and preventive care.
At EDPEN, we see National Adolescent Health Month as an important moment to draw attention to one of the most consequential and most under-recognized threats to adolescent health: eating disorders.
Adolescence is not just a risk period for eating disorders. It is often where they begin.
Why This Age Group Matters
The incidence of anorexia nervosa among 10- to 14-year-old girls has increased significantly over recent decades, suggesting a shift toward earlier onset. The median age of onset for binge eating disorder in the U.S. is 12.6 years.
Eating disorders frequently emerge during one of the most formative, biologically turbulent, and socially complex periods of a young person’s life. This age is a period when identity is taking shape, peer relationships are intensifying, and the body itself is changing in ways that can feel deeply unfamiliar.
At age 6 to 10, girls start to worry about their weight, and by age 14, 60 to 70% are trying to lose weight. The warning signs are often present long before a clinical threshold is crossed, and the providers who work with adolescents are often the first adults outside the family to notice.
The Role of Caregivers
This year’s NAHM theme centers on engaging parents and caregivers.
Parents and caregivers are critical in adolescent health and development. Beyond supporting adolescents’ physical needs, parents and caregivers can support adolescents’ mental health by providing warmth, respect, and rational expectations. Caregiver involvement in eating disorder recovery is not just beneficial, in evidence-based treatments like Family-Based Treatment (FBT), it is the primary mechanism of recovery.
But caregivers cannot play this role without support from informed providers. They need:
- Clear, accessible information about what eating disorders are and what recovery looks like
- Concrete guidance on how to respond at home: what to say, what not to say, how to handle mealtimes
- A connection to peer community with other families who have been through it
- A bridge to the next step in care, even when specialist treatment involves a waiting period
EDPEN’s free Caregiver Brochure, developed in partnership with ANAD, FEAST, and Recovery Record, was designed specifically for this moment. It gives providers a tangible, evidence-informed resource to hand to families at the close of an initial appointment, connecting caregivers immediately to peer support, tracking tools, and educational resources. Learn more about the brochure here.
What National Adolescent Health Month Calls Us to Do
NAHM is a time for adults across the country to come together and support adolescents in their communities. For providers, that means showing up for the health concerns that are most likely to affect the young people in your practice.
Eating disorders are among the most serious psychiatric conditions affecting adolescents. They are also among the most treatable when identified early, responded to warmly, and addressed with the family as an active partner in care.
This month, we encourage every provider who works with young people to:
- Add one question about eating and body image to adolescent wellness visits
- Brush up on early signs (behavioral, emotional, and medical) across different eating disorder presentations
- Know your referral pathway. Learn who in your community specializes in adolescent eating disorder treatment and how to make a warm, effective referral
- Have the caregiver conversation. Parents and guardians often need as much support as the young person themselves
- Connect with EDPEN. Our trainings are designed to build exactly these skills, for providers at every level of experience
EDPEN Is Here to Help
Adolescent eating disorder care requires a whole community of informed providers. EDPEN’s interdisciplinary training programs equip providers across all of these disciplines with evidence-based, family-centered clinical skills.
Whether you’re looking to build foundational knowledge or deepen your existing practice, we’d love to have you.
Explore EDPEN’s training programs at edpen.org →
National Adolescent Health Month™ and NAHM™ are trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, visit opa.hhs.gov/nahm.
EDPEN does not provide medical advice. This content is intended for educational purposes for healthcare providers.
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