Sheffield teen battling eating disorder fights for Body Mass Index change

Eighteen-year-old Grace Wood has set up a petition calling on the government to review how Body Mass Index is used to diagnose and treat eating disorders.

Grace, from Eckington, was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in February of this year, but believes her ‘healthy’ BMI, caused by her high muscle mass, stopped her being given the help she needed until she was hospitalised in April with a dangerously low heart rate.

BMI is a simple calculation which divides a person’s weight by their height to determine if they are a ‘healthy weight’. It is used to determine the ‘severity’ of someone’s anorexia diagnosis, but Grace, a former gymnast, has called it an ‘outdated’ practice, which does not take into account the overall body composition.

The young woman said: “It’s not a weight disorder, it’s a mental disorder. BMI is used as a big focus on how serious anorexia is and the level of help you need. It doesn’t take into account fat or muscle mass.

“Only six per cent of people who have an eating disorder are classed as underweight on the BMI chart. I do believe a lot of lives would be saved if it was changed.”

With the help of her parents, Sarah and Mark, Grace first reached out to her GP for help with her eating disorder in November 2022, while studying physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University. She had realised years of disordered eating had eventually ‘taken over everything’ in her life.

She said: “I thought I was just feeling bad about the way I looked, but it escalated, it had taken over everything in my life. I couldn’t go outside of my routine, I had to have the same snacks every day, the same meals, and exercise every day.”

Grace was told her BMI was ‘healthy' and it was not treated as a serious concern. In February, Grace visited A&E several times due to dizziness and her watch detecting a low heart rate and it was then that she was diagnosed with anorexia. However due to her ‘healthy’ BMI, she was sent home without any immediate help.

“I felt like I had to restrict [my food intake] more to get help,” she said. “I was getting worse and worse, I couldn’t see a way out of it. I had already lost 12 kilograms at this point and I would have had to lose another eight kilograms to be underweight. I probably wouldn’t be here if I had done that.”

Grace had been told her nutrition was having an impact on her heart but it was only when she was taken to hospital in April that she and her family realised the true extent.

She said: “My heart rate was 35 beats per minute, and when I was asleep it dropped to 27. I was kept in hospital for four days and it was only then that I finally got the help I needed - but I shouldn't have had to wait this long. If I had a low BMI it would have been taken more seriously.”

Grace has since been receiving help from a team of health professionals at Derbyshire Eating Disorders Service, and has had to defer the year at university while she recovers at her family home. The teenager is now helping hundreds of others by documenting the positives of recovery, and challenging the stereotypes of anorexia on her Instagram account: @gracew.fitness.

The petition has now been signed by more than 4,000 people. To find out more, or sign the petition yourself, please visit: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/636412