The Eating Disorders Section of the Development and Well-Being Assessment has suitable psychometric properties for use in clinical and epidemiological studies.
A representative sample of 7–14‐year‐old young people in southeast Brazil was assessed using standardized parent and youth interviews, thereby identifying an ‘at‐risk’ group of young people who met one or more DSM‐IV criteria for anorexia and/or bulimia nervosa. These young people were compared with an age and gender matched comparison group for body mass index (BMI) and socio‐economic status (SES). The prevalence of young people at risk for eating disorders was 1.4% (higher in females and rising with age). ‘At‐risk’ individuals did not differ from controls in BMI but were of higher SES. In Brazil, the link between symptoms of eating disorders and higher SES is not just a referral artefact but is evident in a representative community sample. This might reflect a stronger preference for thinness among more westernized social groups.
The use of this adapted manual-based cognitive behavior therapy in this sample resulted in a marked improvement in binge-eating, weight, body shape concern, and depressive symptoms related to binge-eating disorder.
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