Abstract
BackgroundThe perception that eating disorders occur predominantly in young white upper-class women has been challenged. This study examined temporal differences to the demographic correlates of eating disorder behaviors over a 10-year period.MethodsData from cross-sectional general population surveys in 1998 (n = 3010) and 2008 (n = 3034) were collected on demographics (sex, age, income, residency), current eating disorder behaviors (binge eating, extreme dieting, purging), and health-related quality of life (SF-36).ResultsBelow-median annual household income was associated with increased prevalence rates from 1998 to 2008 in binge eating, extreme dieting, and purging. Male sex was associated with increased prevalence rates in extreme dieting and purging. Age over 45 years was associated with increased prevalence rates in purging. In 2008 versus 1998, binge eating was associated with greater mental health-related quality of life impairment in males but not females; and greater physical health-related quality of life impairment in regional but not metropolitan areas. Extreme dieting was also associated with greater physical health-related quality of life impairment in 2008 versus 1998 in the lower but not the higher socioeconomic sector.ConclusionsFindings suggest the ‘democratization’ of disordered eating, with greatest levels of associated impairment being within marginalized demographic sectors. Implications include the need for broader intervention programs and recruitment of demographically representative samples in eating disorder research.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-943) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The perception that eating disorders occur predominantly in young white upper-class women has been challenged
In this study we found that the prevalence of current and regular binge eating and strict dieting had increased in both men and women
We have found in a crosssectional study that impairment in health-related quality of life is similar between men and women who report Eating disorder (ED) behaviors [6,21]
Summary
The perception that eating disorders occur predominantly in young white upper-class women has been challenged. In a preface to the seminal text ‘The Golden Cage’, Bruch describes anorexia nervosa as a disease that ‘affect(s) young and healthy girls who have been raised in privileged, even luxurious circumstances’ [1], highlighting the predominant view of the time that eating disorders (EDs) were the domain of the young upper-class and white female. It is known within the ED field that this is not the case, this early perspective has had lasting implications for the classification and wider mental health literacy of EDs [2], as well as for the development of resources to prevent, detect, and treat EDs [3,4]. No studies as far as we are aware have assessed how disordered eating is changing across other demographic variables, such as socio-economic status, and urban residency
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