Be Your BEST-U

This COPE study is filling gaps in eating disorder treatment access for college students
CARE Director Dr. Kelsie Forbush performs a mock verbal interview with a practice patient to prepare for BEST-U.
CARE Director Dr. Kelsie Forbush (left) performing a mock interview to prepare for BEST-U.

Since 2019, the Building Healthy Eating & Self-Esteem Together for University Students (BEST-U) study has enabled our team to screen KU's student population for disordered eating or body image issues. As part of the study, we offer students who may be facing these challenges access to local and national mental health, food assistance, and community support resources. To date, the BEST-U study has screened over 4,000 students for eating disorders.

Additionally, the BEST-U study has offered eligible KU students an evidence-based treatment, incorporating a mobile phone app developed by our team and 25-minute weekly coaching sessions conducted by our clinical team members.

BEST-U's Success

4,000 college students have been screened for eating disorders to date through BEST-U.

BEST-U sought to evaluate whether our intervention had a lasting impact on students. Thus far, we have observed impressive results and advancements from our participants at six-month follow-ups. We have now completed our current BEST-U study (BEST-U 2.0), and we are very enthusiastic about the future direction of additional BEST-U studies!

KU students sit along a table eating ice cream at Sylas and Maddy’s ice cream shop in downtown Lawrence, KS.
KU students enjoying ice cream at Sylas and Maddy’s in downtown Lawrence, KS.

Beginning in 2025, with funding from the National Institute for Mental Health, our team will commence the next phase of the study, BEST-U 3.0, to further close the gap in treatment accessibility for students. As part of our expanded efforts, we are now collaborating with Watkins Student Health Center at KU to train non-specialized medical providers in delivering the BEST-U treatment. We aim to continue providing KU students with high-quality, evidence-based treatment options for eating and body-image concerns while also exploring the feasibility of training medical providers to deliver this intervention. We are optimistic that what we learn during this newest phase of BEST-U will equip us to expand the program across various college campuses nationwide.