Eating Disorders Underdiagnosed, Undertreated in Select Populations
Treatment disparities for eating disorders (ED) occur most frequently in men, non-affluent individuals, and those with normal weight or overweight, according to new findings.
These disparities are likely caused by stereotypes regarding who develops EDs, researchers believe. Historically, EDs have been though to affect “skinny, white affluent girls” (the “SWAG” stereotype), the authors of the study wrote.
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In hopes of addressing this stereotype, the researchers examined survey data for 1747 undergraduate and graduate college students with ED symptoms who had participated in the Healthy Bodies study.
Variables such as weight status, race, socioeconomic background, and sex were examined. The prevalence of perceived need for treatment, ED diagnosis, past-year treatment, and treatment barriers were also taken into account.
Findings, which were published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, revealed that only 30.7% of respondents reported a perceived need for treatment, 10.5% reported receiving a diagnosis, and 13.6% reported receiving treatment within the past year.
Individual characteristics such as sex and socioeconomic background were found to be significantly associated with the perceived need for treatment, diagnosis, and treatment within the past year.
Perceived need of treatment for ED symptoms, diagnosis, and past-year treatment were more common in women vs men (odds ratios [OR]: 1.97, 4.66, and 1.64, respectively).
In addition, participants from affluent backgrounds were also more likely to perceive a need for treatment (OR 1.52) and to receive treatment (OR 1.89) compared with non-affluent participants.
“At a population‐level, the unmet need for ED treatment disproportionately affects certain groups,” the researchers concluded.
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
Sonneville KR, Lipson SK. Disparities in eating disorder diagnosis and treatment according to weight status, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and sex among college students [Published online March 2, 2018]. Int J Eating Disord. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22846.