Sept. 7, 2022
Uneo, Inc. (Uneo Health) announced today that it is collaborating with the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) to develop educational content specifically targeting eating disorders and body image challenges facing today’s youth and young adults. This addition expands the Uneo app self-care resource content in alignment with the holistic approach taken by the Uneo platform for Generation Z youth challenged with common mental, emotional, and physical issues. The Uneo app complements the array of digital tools and healthcare ecosystem resources available including those of the consumer’s own health plan or provider clinic.
Nearly 29 million Americans have had an eating disorder in their lifetime—5.5 million in any given year—at an annual cost to the healthcare system of $4.6 billion. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the average age of onset is 21 years old for binge eating disorder and 18 years old for both bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Additionally, anxiety disorders are often found with those who suffer from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders according to the NIMH.
Uneo’s proprietary algorithms embedded in a gamified smartphone app create a personalized, consumer-centric digital platform that presents tools and resources to youth who struggle with common healthcare challenges such as anxiety, self-esteem, body image, and prediabetes. Many of these conditions disproportionately impact teens and young adults in underserved communities including those in BIPOC and LGBTQ+ populations — a keen focus area for the platform.
“NEDA has been instrumental in broadening and strengthening the Uneo platform content and daily self-care activities for its youth consumers, providing a holistic approach to care being sought after by health plans and health system clinics,” said Eric Sullivan, chief executive officer and co-founder of Uneo. “We believe strongly in the power of strategic partnerships, and we are excited to collaborate with NEDA and advance our platform resources with personalized tools and support for youth who struggle with eating disorders and body image challenges.”
To advance Uneo’s solution suite especially for youth struggling with managing prediabetes, NEDA was engaged to deploy a robust set of educational content and in-app self-care activities including mindfulness eating exercises and positive, personalized body-image reflections as an alternative approach to more traditional diet and exercise management. Being able to support youth with body image and eating disorders is extremely important to make a positive impact towards healthier living while driving down costs associated with poorer health.
“NEDA is honored to serve as an adviser to Uneo. We share an interest in supporting individuals affected by eating disorders, increasing access to care, and creating prevention strategies,” said Liz Thompson, NEDA’s CEO. “We are delighted to work with Uneo in developing and sharing responsible information and support for their community.”
