An epidemiologic study of maladaptive eating attitudes in a Canadian school age population

Abstract

Although cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia are being seen increasingly by health care professionals, little data is available on the prevalence of these disorders in the general population of school age children. Using a validated eating attitude test (EAT), a total of 5150 students, aged 12–20, from public schools and one university in the Province of Manitoba were surveyed. Overall, 5% of males and 22% of females scored 30 or above on the scale, suggesting significant concerns and attitudes regarding eating. These concerns were somewhat higher in urban versus rural settings and seemed to increase between the ages of 12 and 13 and remain high thereafter. Many of the students who scored high on the EAT were overweight, suggesting that these attitudes or concerns are not specific to anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia.

Not just a western girls' problem: eating attitudes among Israeli-Arab adolescent boys and girls

“…The prevalence rate is also similar to those found in other western countries (Dancyger & Garfinkel, 1995;Lichener, Arnett, Rallo, Srikameswaran, & Vulcano, 1986;Patton, 1988;Patton, Johnson-Sabine, Wood, Mann, & Wakeling, 1990;Scheinberg et al, 1992;Toro, Castro, Garcta, Perez, & Cuesta, 1989;Whitaker et al, 1989;Wichstrom, 1995) and to those found in two studies conducted in Saudi Arabia (19.6% of the sample scored above 20) (Al-Subaie, 1998;Al-Subaie et al, 1996).…”

Gender differences in eating disorder symptoms in young adults

“…Our findings and those of Kinzl, Traweger, Trefalt, Mangweth, and Biebl (1998) and Leichner et al (1986) indicate that even at the prediagnosis (subsyndromal) level, there is an association between disordered eating and obesity. The findings suggest that despite body image concerns, drive for thinness, and inappropriate compensatory behaviors, our participants were not succeeding in terms of attaining or maintaining low weight.…”

Body weight and dieting in adolescence: Impact of socioeconomic status

“…However, another study (Whitaker et al, 1989) based on children in a single county in semirural New Jersey found no relationship between body weight or dieting behaviors and SES. No effect of social class on attitudes toward weight and dieting was observed in a school-age Canadian population (Leichner, Arnett, Rallo, Srikameswaran, & Vulcano, 1986). …”