Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ASCO Annual Meeting 2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Keep up to date with all the top stories and latest evidence with our hub page, including official congress videos and expert takeaways.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 3/2016

01-03-2016 | Original Paper

Eating disorders in a multi-ethnic inner-city UK sample: prevalence, comorbidity and service use

Authors: F. Solmi, M. Hotopf, S. L. Hatch, J. Treasure, N. Micali

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 3/2016

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose

No studies have investigated the prevalence of eating disorders (ED) according to DSM-5 criteria and few have explored their comorbidity and service use in the general population in the UK. We aimed to estimate the prevalence, comorbidity, and service use in individuals with ED in a multi-ethnic inner city sample.

Methods

A total of 1698 individuals (age 16/90) were screened for ED in the first phase of the South East London Community Health Study and 145 were followed up with a diagnostic interview. Data was weighed for survey design and Chi Square tests were used to investigate socio-demographic distribution, comorbidity and service use in participants with ED.

Results

The point prevalence of ED was 4.4 % (Binge Eating Disorder (BED) 3.6 %; Bulimia Nervosa (BN) 0.8 %) and 7.4 % when including sub-threshold diagnoses (Purging Disorder (PD) 0.6 %; Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders (OSFED) 2.4 %). No cases of AN were identified. Purging Disorder was the ED with the highest proportion of comorbid disorders. A minority of participants with ED had accessed specialist care services.

Conclusions

ED are common, the comorbidity of ED was in line with previous studies and no ethnic differences were identified. Although PD is not a full diagnosis in DSM-5, we found some evidence of high comorbidity with other disorders, that needs to be replicated using larger samples. Service use was low across ED diagnoses, despite high levels of comorbidity.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
SCOFF questions: Do you make yourself table because you feel uncomfortably full?; Do you worry you have lost control over how much you eat?; Have you recently lost more than one stone in a 3 month period?; Do you believe yourself to be Fat even when other say you are too thin?; Would you say that Food dominates your life?
 
2
The following procedures were employed to measure participants’ height and weight: Height: participants’ height was measured having them standing with their scapula, buttocks and heels resting against a wall, the neck held in a natural non-stretched position, the heels touching each other, the toe tips form a 45° angle and the head held straight with the inferior orbital border in the same horizontal plane as the external auditive conduct (Frankfort's plane). Weight: a portable scale with a 125 kg maximum capacity and a ± 100 g error margin was used. Individuals were asked to remove shoes and heavy cloths prior to weighing.
 
Literature
1.
2.
Eddy KT, Celio Doyle A, Hoste RR et al (2008) Eating disorder not otherwise specified in adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 47:156–164CrossRefPubMed
3.
Le Grange D, Swanson SA, Crow SJ, Merikangas KR (2012) Eating disorder not otherwise specified presentation in the US population. Int J Eat Disord 45:711–718CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
4.
American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Author, Washington, DC
5.
American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5™), 5th ed. Washington, DC
6.
7.
Flament MF, Buchholz A, Henderson K et al (2015) Comparative distribution and validity of DSM-IV and DSM-5 diagnoses of eating disorders in adolescents from the community. Eur Eat Disord Rev 23:100–110. doi:10.​1002/​erv.​2339 CrossRefPubMed
8.
Hudson JI, Hiripi E, Pope HG Jr, Kessler RC (2007) The Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biol Psychiatry 61:348–358CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
9.
Preti A, de Girolamo G, Vilagut G et al (2009) The epidemiology of eating disorders in six European countries: results of the ESEMeD-WMH project. J Psychiatr Res 43:1125–1132CrossRefPubMed
10.
11.
12.
13.
Tareen A, Hodes M, Rangel L (2005) Non-fat-phobic anorexia nervosa in British South Asian adolescents. Int J Eat Disord 37:161–165CrossRefPubMed
14.
15.
16.
Grabe S, Hyde JS (2006) Ethnicity and body dissatisfaction among women in the United States: a Meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 132:622–640CrossRefPubMed
17.
Becker AE, Burwell RA, Gilman SE et al (2002) Eating behaviours and attitudes following prolonged exposure to television among ethnic Fijian adolescent girls. Br J Psychiatry 180:509–514CrossRefPubMed
18.
Chisuwa N, O’Dea JA (2010) Body image and eating disorders amongst Japanese adolescents. A review of the literature. Appetite 54:5–15CrossRefPubMed
19.
20.
Szabo CP, Allwood CW (2004) A cross-cultural study of eating attitudes in adolescent South African females. World Psychiatry 3:41–44PubMedPubMedCentral
21.
Shaw H, Ramirez L, Trost A et al (2003) Body image and eating disturbances across ethnic groups: more similarities than differences. Psychol Addict Behav 18:12–18CrossRef
22.
Becker AE, Franko DL, Speck A, Herzog DB (2003) Ethnicity and differential access to care for eating disorder symptoms. Int J Eat Disord 33:205–212CrossRefPubMed
23.
Cachelin FM, Striegel-Moore RH (2006) Help seeking and barriers to treatment in a community sample of Mexican American and European American women with eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord 39:154–161CrossRefPubMed
24.
Waller G, Schmidt U, Treasure J et al (2009) Ethnic origins of patients attending specialist eating disorders services in a multiethnic urban catchment area in the United Kingdom. Int J Eat Disord 42:459–463CrossRefPubMed
25.
26.
Lewinsohn PM, Striegel-Moore RH, Seeley JR (2000) Epidemiology and natural course of eating disorders in young women from adolescence to young adulthood. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39:1284–1292CrossRefPubMed
27.
Mond JM, Hay PJ, Rodgers B, Owen C (2007) Health service utilization for eating disorders: findings from a community-based study. Int J Eat Disord 40:399–408CrossRefPubMed
28.
Reid M, Williams S, Hammersley R (2009) Managing eating disorder patients in primary care in the UK: a qualitative study. Eat Disord 18:1–9CrossRef
29.
Hatch SL, Frissa S, Verdecchia M et al (2011) Identifying socio-demographic and socioeconomic determinants of health inequalities in a diverse London community: the South East London Community Health (SELCoH) study. BMC Public Health. doi:10.​1186/​1471-2458-11-861 PubMedPubMedCentral
30.
31.
Lewis G, Pelosi AJ, Araya R, Dunn G (1992) Measuring psychiatric disorder in the community: a standardized assessment for use by lay interviewers. Psychol Med 22:465–486CrossRefPubMed
32.
Moran P (2003) Standardised Assessment of Personality—abbreviated scale (SAPAS): preliminary validation of a brief screen for personality disorder. Br J Psychiatry 183:228–232CrossRefPubMed
33.
Kongerslev M, Moran P, Bo S, Simonsen E (2012) Screening for personality disorder in incarcerated adolescent boys: preliminary validation of an adolescent version of the standardised assessment of personality—abbreviated scale (SAPAS-AV). BMC Psychiatry 12:94CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
34.
Pluck G, Sirdifield C, Brooker C, Moran P (2012) Screening for personality disorder in probationers: validation of the standardised assessment of personality—abbreviated scale (SAPAS). Personal Ment Health 6:61–68CrossRef
35.
Prins A, Ouimette P, Kimerling R et al (2004) The primary care PTSD screen (PC–PTSD): development and operating characteristics. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract 9:6
36.
Bliese PD, Wright KM, Adler AB et al (2008) Validating the primary care posttraumatic stress disorder screen and the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist with soldiers returning from combat. J Consult Clin Psychol 76:272–281CrossRefPubMed
37.
Frissa S, Hatch SL, Gazard B et al (2013) Trauma and current symptoms of PTSD in a South East London community. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48:1199–1209CrossRefPubMed
38.
Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG (2001) AUDIT—the alcohol use disorders identification test: guidelines for use in primary care, 2nd edn. World Health Organization, Geneva
39.
Swanson SA, Crow SJ, Le Grange D et al (2011) Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in adolescents. Results from the national comorbidity survey replication adolescent supplement. Arch Gen Psychiatry 68:714–723CrossRefPubMed
40.
Zanarini MC, Frankenburg FR (2001) Attainment and maintenance of reliability of axis I and II disorders over the course of a longitudinal study. Compr Psychiatry 42:369–374CrossRefPubMed
41.
Zanarini MC, Skodol AE, Bender D et al (2000) The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study: reliability of axis I and II diagnoses. J Pers Disord 14:291–299CrossRefPubMed
42.
Lobbestael J, Leurgans M, Arntz A (2011) Inter-rater reliability of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID I) and Axis II Disorders (SCID II). Clin Psychol Psychother 18:75–79CrossRefPubMed
43.
Keel PK, Haedt A, Edler C (2005) Purging disorder: an ominous variant of bulimia nervosa? Int J Eat Disord 38:191–199CrossRefPubMed
44.
Dunn G, Pickles A, Tansella M, Vazquez-Barquero L (1999) Two-phase epidemiological surveys in psychiatric research. Br J Psychiatry 174:95–100CrossRefPubMed
45.
Solmi F, Hatch SL, Hotopf M et al (2014) Prevalence and correlates of disordered eating in a general population sample: the South East London Community Health (SELCoH) study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49:1335–1346CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
46.
Hatch SL, Woodhead C, Frissa S et al. (2012) Importance of thinking locally for mental health: data from cross-sectional surveys representing South East London and England. PLoS One 7:e48012CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
47.
Solmi F, Hatch SL, Hotopf M et al (2015) Validation of the SCOFF questionnaire for eating disorders in a multi-ethnic general population sample. Int J Eat, Disord
48.
Pope HG, Lalonde JK, Pindyck LJ et al (2006) Binge eating disorder: a stable syndrome. Am J Psychiatry 163:2181–2183CrossRefPubMed
49.
50.
51.
52.
Fairburn CG, Beglin SJ (1990) Studies of the epidemiology of bulimia nervosa. Am J Psychiatry 147:401–408CrossRefPubMed
53.
Weltzin TE, Weisensel N, Franczyk D et al (2005) Eating disorders in men: update. J Men’s Heal Gend 2:186–193CrossRef
54.
Neumark-Sztainer D, Croll J, Story M et al (2002) Ethnic/racial differences in weight-related concerns and behaviors among adolescent girls and boys. J Psychosom Res 53:963–974CrossRefPubMed
55.
Franko DL, Becker AE, Thomas JJ, Herzog DB (2007) Cross-ethnic differences in eating disorder symptoms and related distress. Int J Eat Disord 40:156–164CrossRefPubMed
56.
Regan PC, Cachelin FM (2006) Binge eating and purging in a multi-ethnic community sample. Int J Eat Disord 39:523–526CrossRefPubMed
57.
58.
Favaro A, Santanastaso P (1998) Impulsive and compulsive self-injurious behavior in bulimia nervosa: prevalence and psychological correlates. J Nerv Ment Dis 186:157–165CrossRefPubMed
59.
Anderson DA, Martens MP, Cimini MD (2005) Do female college students who purge report greater alcohol use and negative alcohol-related consequences? Int J Eat Disord 37:65–68CrossRefPubMed
60.
Franko DL, Keel PK (2006) Suicidality in eating disorders: occurrence, correlates, and clinical implications. Clin Psychol Rev 26:769–782CrossRefPubMed
61.
Keel PK, Wolfe B, Gravener J, Jimerson D (2008) Co-morbidity and disorder-related distress and impairment in purging disorder. Psychol Med 38:1435–1442CrossRefPubMed
62.
Araujo DMR, da Santos GF, Nardi AE (2010) Binge eating disorder and depression: a systematic review. World J Biol Psychiatry 11:199–207CrossRefPubMed
63.
Cassin SE, von Ranson KM (2005) Personality and eating disorders: a decade in review. Clin Psychol Rev 25:895–916CrossRefPubMed
64.
Swinbourne JM, Touyz SW (2007) The co-morbidity of eating disorders and anxiety disorders: a review. Eur Eat Disord Rev 15:253–274CrossRefPubMed
65.
66.
White JE (1982) A two stage design for the study of the relationship between a rare exposure and a rare disease. Am J Epidemiol 115:119–128PubMed
67.
Micali N, Solmi F, Horton NJ et al (2015) Adolescent eating disorders predict psychiatric, high-risk behaviors and weight outcomes in young adulthood. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 54(652–659):e1. doi:10.​1016/​j.​jaac.​2015.​05.​009 PubMed
68.
Sonneville KR, Horton NJ, Micali N et al (2013) Longitudinal associations between binge eating and overeating and adverse outcomes among adolescents and young adults: does loss of control matter? JAMA Pediatr 167:149–155CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Metadata
Title
Eating disorders in a multi-ethnic inner-city UK sample: prevalence, comorbidity and service use
Authors
F. Solmi
M. Hotopf
S. L. Hatch
J. Treasure
N. Micali
Publication date
01-03-2016
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 3/2016
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-015-1146-7

Other articles of this Issue 3/2016

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 3/2016 Go to the issue

Commentary (Invited)

Youth services: the need to integrate mental health, physical health and social care

Original Paper

Alcohol use, mental well-being, self-esteem and general self-efficacy among final-year university students

Original Paper

Social, familial and psychological risk factors for mood and anxiety disorders in childhood and early adulthood: a birth cohort study using the Danish Registry System

Original Paper

Social isolation, loneliness and depression in young adulthood: a behavioural genetic analysis

Original Paper

Factorial structure of complicated grief: associations with loss-related traumatic events and psychosocial impacts of mass conflict amongst West Papuan refugees

Original Paper

Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children?