February 22, 2023 – More than one in five children worldwide is vulnerable to developing an eating disorder similar to bulimia, anorexia or binge eating, based on a latest evaluation.
The study was published this month within the magazine JAMA PediatricsThe researchers analyzed data from 63,181 adolescents aged 6 to 18 from 16 countries to search for so-called “eating disorders.” None of the youngsters included within the study were diagnosed with physical or mental disorders, and data from the COVID-19 period weren't included.
The researchers examined the outcomes of a widely used standardized eating disorder questionnaire called Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food (SCOFF). If someone answers “yes” to 2 or more of the questions, the person is taken into account to have an eating disorder, which “indicates a suspicion of an existing eating disorder,” the researchers write. The five questions are:
- Are you making yourself sick because you will have an unpleasant feeling of fullness?
- Are you apprehensive that you will have lost control of your eating habits?
- Have you lately lost greater than 14 kilos in a 3-month period?
- Do you're thinking that you might be fat when others say you might be too thin?
- Would you say that food dominates your life?
Overall, 22 percent of kids answered “yes” to 2 or more questions. The proportion of kids with eating disorders might be even higher, the researchers explain, because children may hide symptoms “due to feelings of shame or stigma.”
The results represent a dramatic departure from the idea that 2.7% of individuals between the ages of 13 and 18 suffer from an eating disorder during puberty.
In this recent study, eating disorders were more common in girls, older children, and youngsters with a better body mass index (BMI), a combined measure of height and weight.
The evaluation found that 30% of women suffered from eating disorders, in comparison with 17% of boys. When taking a look at the responses by age, the proportion of kids with eating disorders increased by 20 percentage points between the ages of 10 and 18.
The findings regarding children who have already got a high BMI confirm previous research that lots of these children already exhibit eating disorders while attempting to shed extra pounds, the authors write.
“Although most adolescents who develop an eating disorder do not report prior obesity problems, some adolescents may misinterpret a healthy diet and engage in unhealthy behaviors (e.g., skipping meals to create a calorie deficit), which could then lead to the development of an eating disorder,” the researchers explain.
The study suggests that folks, caregivers and healthcare professionals must be alert to eating disorder symptoms in children, as these are related to the chance of developing a clinical eating disorder. Symptoms to look out for include behaviors similar to weight-reduction plan for weight reduction, binge eating, self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise and taking laxatives or diuretics, the researchers write.