Lay summary
Māori experience disordered eating. Population studies identified this over 20 years ago, and more recently, Māori have been underrepresented in secondary eating disorder services. This underrepresentation is due to systemic barriers including service location, limited inpatient availability, clinician bias, and unique eating disorder assessment methods. These barriers have led to a cohort of Māori seeking help from kaupapa Māori services.
This project is the first to explore eating disorders within a kaupapa Māori service, focusing on perspectives from kaimahi and tangata whaiora. The findings from these wānanga aim to identify the extent of the issue and necessary resources to support kaimahi and tangata whaiora. The outcomes will provide insights with the potential to inform other kaupapa Māori services and establish a foundation for future research, identifying key areas for further study and guiding subsequent investigations to improve health outcomes for Māori communities.