Prevalence, features and health impacts of eating disorders amongst First-Australian Yiramarang (adolescents) and in comparison with other Australian adolescents

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to support previous research conducted with First-Australians (FA) by establishing the prevalence of eating disorders, and their demographic distribution and burden in adolescent First-Australians compared to other-Australians (OA). Methods: Data were used from the baseline survey of the EveryBODY Study, a longitudinal investigation of eating disorders among Australian adolescents. Of the 5068 participants included, 402 (8%) identified as FA, 4586 (90.5%) identified as OA. Diagnosis of eating disorders was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version 5. Socioeconomic status and measures of impairment were assessed using validated instruments. Body mass index was calculated based on self-reported weight and height. Statistical analyses used data weighted to the distribution of gender in adolescents in New South Wales in the 2016 Australian Census. Chi-square tests were performed to determine prevalence of eating disorders amongst FA and to compare to OA. ANOVA and logistic regression analyses where conducted to examine the moderation effect of sociodemographic status, measures of impairment and FA status on the distribution of eating disorders. Results: The prevalence rates for eating disorder diagnoses where similar for FA and OA with the exception of Night eating Syndrome (OSFED-NES), which occurred in 7.14% (95%CI 4.81-10.49) of FA vs. 3.72% (95%CI 3.17-4.36) in OA. The greater prevalence of OSFED-NES in FA was largely explained by poorer psychosocial quality of life amongst FA.

Eating disorders in New Zealand: Implications for Māori and health service delivery

“…Both M aori and non-M aori across the socioeconomic spectrum were in the cohort, with nearly half of the M aori cohort in the two lowest quantiles of deprivation. This is consistent with findings from Australia that have found EDs across all levels of income and Indigenous status (Burt et al, 2020;Mulders-Jones et al, 2017).…”

“…This may lead to low rates of diagnosis among M aori and subsequently reduce access to treatment. The use of culture-specific screening tools for Indigenous people with EDs has been recommended by other authors (Burt et al, 2020). Frameworks such as the Meihana model (a guide for clinicians to gain a better understanding of M aori health) could be used to identify the range of factors contributing to inequities for M aori with EDs, which may include structural factors such as colonisation, racism, migration and marginalisation, as well as individual, whanau (family), and health provider factors (Pitama, Huria, & Lacey, 2014).…”

Eating disorders amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a scoping review

“…The authors suggest the Indigenous adolescents may have been less aware of the media messages' impact on their behaviour or were more reluctant to report that media messaging impacted their behaviour. The high levels of weight and shape concern among Indigenous adolescents found in this study accords with the findings of research by Burt et al [29,30].…”

“…The findings of the former study were contrasted by two more recent representative general population studies by [29,30]. The authors estimated the diagnostic prevalence of eating disorders to be higher in adult (27%) and adolescent (29%) Indigenous Australians compared to non-Indigenous Australians.…”

“…The contrasting findings between Burt et al [ 29 , 30 ], and Azzopardi et al [ 2 ], may be because the latter was based on data from the national hospital morbidity and other databases for mental disorders. These data miss those who have not been admitted to hospital, which is almost certainly the majority of cases of eating disorders [ 32 ].…”