The first nationally representative study of eating disorders in the United States appears in the February 2007 edition of Biological Psychiatry. The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) is a nationally representative survey of the U.S. population that was administered face-to-face to a sample of 9,282 English-speaking adults ages 18 and older between February 2001 and December 2003.  Among the results:

• Lifetime prevalence of individual eating disorders is 0.6-4.5%.
• Lifetime prevalence of anorexia nervosa is .9% in women, .3% in men.
• Lifetime prevalence of bulimia nervosa is 1.5% in women, .5% in men.
• Lifetime prevalence of binge eating disorder is 3.5% in women, 2.0% in men.
• Eating disorders frequently impair the sufferer's home, work, personal, and social life.
• Binge eating is more common than anorexia or bulimia and is commonly associated with severe obesity.
• Eating disorders display substantial comorbidity with other mental health disorders.
• While eating disorders often coexist with other mental health disorders, eating disorders often go undiagnosed and untreated. A low number of sufferers obtain treatment for the eating disorder.
• Researchers found a surprisingly high rate of anorexia and bulimia among men, representing approximately one fourth of the cases of each disorder.

The EDC points out that survey included people 18 and older, which would exclude children and teens struggling with the disorder. Also, the survey authors note that they may have missed sufferers with severe anorexia, regardless of age. The EDC notes that the actual percentages of people with eating disorders may be higher than the study's findings.

Biological Psychiatry, "The Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication," pages 348-358, by James I. Hudson, Eva Hiripi, Jr., Harrison G. Pope, and Ronald C. Kessler.

The complete article is available at www.sciencedirect.com ($30)

EDC Lobby Day: May 1

Help Launch the Eating Disorders Dream Bill. Join us in Washington to support research, treatment, and prevention. Advocacy training starts April 30 and the EDC Lobby Day is May 1. Click here.