Eating disorders as a public health issue: Prevalence and attributable impairment of quality of life in an Italian community sample

Abstract

The prevalence of eating disorders (ED) in the community is still under debate, as well as the measure of their impact on the well-being of individuals. It was decided to evaluate the prevalence of eating disorders in an Italian community sample as well as to measure the burden of the quality of life of people and to compare it to those attributable to other chronic illnesses. A community survey of 4,999 people using a questionnaire on health services utilization, the Advanced Neuropsychiatric Tools and Assessment Schedule (ANTAS), a semi-structured clinical interview derived from the non-patient version of the DSM-IV (SCID/NP) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) was conducted. A total of 3,398 individuals were interviewed (68% of those recruited). Lifetime prevalence for overall ED was 1.7%; for anorexia 0.7%; for bulimia 0.6% and for binge eating disorder 0.5%. ED was more frequent in women than in men. No cases of anorexia in men were identified. ED showed an attributable burden in impairing quality of life with no statistically significant differences with those due to major depressive disorder, bipolar spectrum disorders and Wilson's disease. Of the pathological conditions considered, only multiple sclerosis showed a worsening attributable burden. ED thus has a non-negligible frequency in Italy, with severe impact on quality of life comparable to that produced by severe chronic psychiatric and general medical conditions. These elements emphasize that ED is a serious public health issue.

A two‐stage epidemiological study of eating disorders and muscle dysmorphia in male university students inBuenosAires

“…People with eating disorders have low quality of life, and early detection is associated with better treatment outcomes . We hope that the availability of these data will improve understanding of male body image concerns and disordered eating and hence lead to increased detection of EDs in primary care settings and the development of validated treatments.…”

“…Eating disorders (EDs) represent a challenge to public health in terms of psychiatric comorbidity and functional impairment, and because they affect the quality of life of affected individuals and their caregivers . However, only a few affected individuals seek professional help, perhaps partly due because of the difficulties of detecting and referring patients in primary care settings . EDs are also classically considered a typically female pathology; consequently, disordered eating and body image concerns in men tend to be underestimated, misunderstood, and undertreated .…”

“…2,3 However, only a few affected individuals seek professional help, 1 perhaps partly due because of the difficulties of detecting and referring patients in primary care settings. 3,4 EDs are also classically considered a typically female pathology; 5 consequently, disordered eating and body image concerns in men tend to be underestimated, misunderstood, and undertreated. 6 However, since description of muscle dysmorphia syndrome (MD) 7 ; an increasing amount of scientific evidence has emerged showing that men typically present with muscle-oriented forms of ED, which are related to concepts such as drive for muscularity.…”

Transitioning from DSM‐IV to DSM‐5: A systematic review of eating disorder prevalence assessment

“…The majority of studies using interviews did not report overall ED rates, but rather diagnose specific rates (see Table 1). However, where interview-based ED prevalence was reported, lifetime prevalence was most commonly listed, with rates for females and males ranging from 1.0% 73 to 2.6%, 56 and from 0.3% 73 to 0.6%, 56 respectively. Finally, in studies employing selfreports, all studies reported point prevalence with overall EDs rates ranging from 1.2% 78 to 13.4% 79 in females, and 1.1% 76 to 4.3% 87 in males.…”

The Female Athlete Body project study: 18‐month outcomes in eating disorder symptoms and risk factors

“…Eating disorders (EDs) and their associated levels of impairment, morbidity, and cost are a significant public health concern (Brownell & Walsh, ; Carta, Preti, & Moro, ; Crow, ; Hudson, Hiripi, Pope, & Kessler, ). Although EDs affect people of all demographics, research indicates that some populations are at increased risk for developing EDs (Brownell & Walsh, ).…”