National Eating Disorders Association

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National Eating Disorders Association

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is a U.S. nonprofit group that works to prevent eating disorders, connect people with treatment, and educate the public about these conditions.

NEDA was founded in 1987 after a merger of two longtime groups, Eating Disorders Awareness & Prevention and the American Anorexia Bulimia Association. It operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with its headquarters in White Plains, New York. In 2024, NEDA reported about $1.8 million in revenue and about $2.5 million in expenses, and it listed six employees for 2025.

NEDA runs several programs and events, including National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, held during the last week of February, and charity walks in various U.S. cities. In 2012, it launched Proud2BMe, a website aimed at teens to promote positive body image and healthy eating.

The organization has faced criticism. A 2018 Skeptical Inquirer report suggested some information from NEDA and other eating disorder groups could be flawed or not verified, noting that NEDA had not released data on anorexia incidence from 1984–2017.

In 2023, reports raised controversy about staffing and technology. NPR said a NEDA executive fired all helpline staff and hundreds of volunteers four days after they voted to unionize, and Fortune reported that an AI chatbot named Tessa would replace human workers. The helpline workers formed a union called Helpline Associates United. Critics accused the move of being a union-busting effort. Tests of Tessa showed it at times gave advice about calorie counting and weight loss, which alarmed many observers. NEDA temporarily took Tessa offline later that month, and a statement from the organization emphasized the importance of human empathy in crisis support.