Research and development

We want to hear your STORY– Join our new study

We are trying to find out what characterises earlier and later stages of eating disorders, how symptoms change over time and what may help or hinder recovery. This information will allow us to develop and deliver more personalised and effective interventions that are tailored to the illness and recovery stages of young people with eating disorders in the future.

What’s involved?

Interested participants will be invited to complete a brief screening questionnaire to confirm eligibility for the study. If you are enrolled, you will complete online assessments on your computer every few months over one year. You will download two apps onto your smartphone or a study smartphone that we will give you and regularly complete short questionnaires. You may also wear a smart ring for 12 months to measure your heart rate and sleep if you feel comfortable. If you live in London or Edinburgh, you will also have the option to do additional in-person cognitive tasks at the institute and undergo brain scans.

You will be paid up to £175 for your participation and may receive a smartphone from us, as well as a picture of your brain!

Who can take part?

People aged 16-25, who have an eating disorder or think they may have one. We also invite young people who have no history of an eating disorder or other major mental health disorders to take part in our control group.

You must be willing to use either your own compatible Android phone or a study Android phone that we will give you as your only smartphone during the data collection period (12 months).

You cannot take part in STORY if you:

• live outside the UK
• have insufficient knowledge of English to complete study assessments
• have a severe learning disability or any major medical disease which might impact your ability to participate in normal daily activities (e.g., due to hospitalisations).

If this sounds interesting to you, take our screening questionnaire.

For more information, watch a participant information video below, visit the Edify website or contact the study team at STORY@kcl.ac.uk.

We look forward to welcoming you to the STORY study!

Advertisement for the recruitment of volunteers for study REC reference: 23/PR/0927 (IRAS ID:325803), approved by the London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee. This project contributes to the college’s role in conducting research, and teaching research methods.

Study deadline: 31 August 2025