lass=""h4"">Background
Litt
le popu
lation-based data exist on the preva
lence or corre
lates of eating disorders.
lass=""h4"">Methods
Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders from the National Comorbidity Replication, a nationally representative face-to-face household survey (n = 9282), conducted in 2001–2003, were assessed using the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview.
lass=""h4"">Results
Lifetime prevalence estimates of DSM-IV anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are .9 % , 1.5 % , and 3.5 % among women, and .3 % .5 % , and 2.0 % among men. Survival analysis based on retrospective age-of-onset reports suggests that risk of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder increased with successive birth cohorts. All 3 disorders are significantly comorbid with many other DSM-IV disorders. Lifetime anorexia nervosa is significantly associated with low current weight (body-mass index <18.5), whereas lifetime binge eating disorder is associated with current severe obesity (body-mass index ≥40). Although most respondents with 12-month bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder report some role impairment (data unavailable for anorexia nervosa since no respondents met criteria for 12-month prevalence), only a minority of cases ever sought treatment.
lass=""h4"">Conclusions
Eating disorders, although relatively uncommon, represent a public health concern because they are frequently associated with other psychopathology and role impairment, and are frequently under-treated.
