A new European project aims to equip fitness professionals with the tools to identify and refer young people showing early signs of eating disorders, potentially transforming prevention strategies in sports and gym environments.
A new European initiative is reframing gyms and sports clubs as places where eating disorders may be spotted earlier, before habits harden into serious illness. In a comment in the Journal of Eating Disorders, researchers led by Sapienza University of Rome argue that personal trainers, fitness coaches, kinesiologists and physical education teachers should be trained to act as informed sentinels for young people aged 11 to 18. The project, called My Fit Friend, is co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ Sport Programme and is designed to give non-medical professionals practical tools for noticing warning signs and directing vulnerable teenagers towards help.
The need is clear. Project material says the number of people affected by eating disorders and body image problems has been rising, particularly among adolescents, young athletes and regular gym users. The researchers say the initiative is meant to counter unrealistic body ideals and create a network of specialists who can identify, manage and treat these conditions earlier. That matters because many young people with disordered eating or compulsive exercise patterns are seen far more often by coaches than by doctors.
At the centre of the framework is a concept the authors call maladaptive exercise: activity that becomes rigid, excessive and driven by weight or shape control rather than health or enjoyment. The project proposes a structured education programme and a train-the-trainer model so that knowledge can spread through sport organisations. According to the paper, participants also use the My Fit Friend diary, an observational tool that helps record training patterns, food habits, body image concerns and related behaviours over time.
The plan also includes simulation-based learning. The paper says trainees practise conversations with an avatar in live sessions led by trained clinicians, allowing them to rehearse how to ask sensitive questions and respond without judgement. The aim is not to turn trainers into diagnosticians. Instead, the authors want them to recognise persistent red flags, such as compulsive training, distress when exercise is missed, strict food rules or obsessive body checking, and then refer young people through proper health pathways.
Research published on PubMed adds another layer to the case by showing that maladaptive exercise can be assessed with a short screening approach that captures both current and lifetime history. That reinforces the argument that exercise behaviour deserves attention in eating disorder care, not as a side issue but as a key clinical clue. The broader lesson of My Fit Friend is that prevention may begin long before a clinic visit, in the places where young people train, compete and compare their bodies every day.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
