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Facts and Findings

Prevalence
Features
Wellbeing
Weight-loss and Dieting
Culture
References

NOTE: These statistics were compiled by the Eating Disorders Foundation of Victoria www.eatingdisorders.org.au

CEED would like to thank the EDFV for permission to use these statistics on our website.

Research in the field of eating disorders is in its infancy. Statistics often vary and sometimes seem contradictory, reflecting the need for more work and larger studies upon which to base prevalence rates and other relevant information.  The following statistics may help to give you a snapshot view about eating disorders and some of the associated issues. Where possible we have tried to access Australian statistics.

 

Prevalence

  • Eating disorders can be found in people as young as seven and as old as 70 years.
  • Although there is great variation in prevalence rates cited in various sources, according to strict clinical criteria it is generally estimated that in Australia 2-3% of adolescent and adult females satisfy the DSM IV diagnostic criteria for anorexia and bulimia nervosa 
  • Approximately one in 100 adolescent girls develop anorexia nervosa.
  • Anorexia Nervosa is the third most common chronic illness for adolescent girls in Australia (after obesity and asthma).
  • The incidence of Bulimia Nervosa in the Australian population is 5 in 100.    At least two studies have indicated that only about one tenth of the cases of bulimia in the community are detected.   The true incidence is estimated to be as high as 1 in 5 in the student population.
  • Studies suggest that EDNOS- bulimic type syndromes outnumber bulimia nervosa by a factor of 2:1. These prevalence figures imply a collective prevalence of (EDNOS) of 4%  – 5.5% among community females and indicate that Bulimic eating disorders are common problems for Australian females. (Note: EDNOS is an acronym of Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified, and is a classified eating disorder under DSM IV – the Diagnostic Standards Manual of Mental Health). 
  • The prevalence of Binge Eating Disorder in the general population is estimated to be 4%. The incidence of Binge Eating Disorder in males and females is almost equal.
  • A study of 15,000 18-22 year old Australian women found that 20% had symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder.
  • The rate of diabetes mellitus in people under 20 is about 0.3%. This compares with the rate of Anorexia in girls of the same age group of between .5 – 1%.  The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia is usually estimated at between 0.5% and 1% (American Psychiatric Association).  Research has not been done to definitively identify the number of people with eating disorders in Australia however the combined prevalence of eating disorders in the Australian community can be estimated to be at least 7%.
  • 1 in 20 Australian women  admitted to having suffered from an eating disorder while 1 in 4 individuals know someone who has an eating disorder.
  • There has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of bulimia in the last 20 years.

 

Features

  • Onset of anorexia is generally in adolescence with bulimia and binge eating more likely to first occur in late adolescence or early adulthood.  The long-term nature of these disorders means that many people carry these conditions well into their adulthood.
  • The average time that someone suffers from anorexia is five years.
  • Low self esteem increases the chance of developing disordered eating. 
  • More than half of anorexia sufferers have been sexually abused or experienced some other major trauma.
  • 40% of people with anorexia nervosa are at risk of developing bulimia nervosa.
  • 92% of people with bulimia said that seeking help was entirely their own choice whereas only 19% of people with anorexia agreed.
  • A study of 3000 Australian women showed that purging behaviours were found to be most common in the 35 – 44 age group and that only 23% of people with either bulimia or binge eating disorder were found in the under 25 year age group – therefore 77% of those with bulimia or binge eating disorder were over 25.
  • It is common for people suffering from bulimia to keep their disorder hidden for 8-10 years, at great cost to their physical and psychological health.
  • 83% of bulimic patients vomit, 33% abuse laxatives, and 10% take diet pills.
  • One in ten young adults and approximately 25% of children diagnosed with anorexia nervosa are male.

 

Wellbeing

  • The overall mortality rate for anorexia is 5 times that of the same aged population in general, with death from natural causes being 4 times greater (i.e. cardiac arrhythmia, infection etc) and deaths from unnatural causes 11 times greater. Risk of successful suicide is particularly high being 32 times that expected.  Anorexia is the most fatal of all psychiatric illnesses. Mortality rates after 20 years are between 15-20%. The mortality rate for bulimia nervosa is estimated to be up to 19%.
  • About 50% of people who develop Anorexia will return to a normal body weight within 6 months of treatment. 25% will have a low but stable weight, and the remaining 25% will be chronically ill with the condition or die.   The best outcomes are achieved for those whose condition is identified early and receive appropriate treatment.   70% of individuals who undertake treatment for Bulimia Nervosa report a significant improvement in their symptoms.
  • People with bulimia may have had one or several suicide attempts and there is a high incidence of depression amongst bulimia sufferers.
  • Young Australian women who start dieting before the age of 15 are more likely to experience depression, binge eating, purging, and physical symptoms such as tiredness, low iron levels and menstrual irregularities.  Women who diet frequently (more than 5 times) are 75% more likely to experience depression.
  • In a study of 106,000 Australian women, 20% used eating to cope with stress while 12% either smoked or used drugs.

 

Weight Loss & Dieting

  • Excessive exercise has been found to be frequently used by males who are dissatisfied with their body shape and size.
  • Steroid use is no longer restricted to elite athletes.  Reports in the US and Australia indicates that 6%-12% of high school males have used steroids.
  • Dieting is the greatest risk factor for the development of an eating disorder. 68% of 15 year old females are on a diet, of these, 8% are severely dieting. Adolescent girls who diet only moderately, are five times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who don’t diet, and those who diet severely are 18 time more likely to develop an eating disorder.
  • A Victorian study of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years classified 38% of girls and 12% of boys as "intermediate" to "extreme" dieters (i.e., at risk of an eating disorder).  A Sydney study of adolescents aged 11 to 15 reported that 16% of the girls and 7% of the boys had already employed at least one potentially dangerous method of weight reduction, including starvation, vomiting and laxative abuse. 
  • 31% of young women surveyed between 18 and 23 reported that at some time they had at least experimented with unhealthy eating behaviours including making themselves purge, deliberately abusing laxatives or diuretics, or fasting for at least 24 hours in order to lose weight.
  • A study involving 341 female and 221 male high school students in Victoria, found that 47.9% of girls and 26% of boys occasionally used at least one extreme weight loss measure and 13.2% of girls and 8.8% of boys used such a measure weekly.
  • Dieting to control weight in adolescence is not only ineffective, it may actually promote weight gain A study of adolescents showed that after 3 years of follow-up, regular adolescent dieters gained more weight than non-dieters.
  • Australians spend about $1 million a day on weight loss attempts with little success

 

Culture

  • The incidence of eating disorders in the athletic population, including ballet, is 20% or greater than in the average population.
  • Research suggests that men are becoming increasingly concerned about the size, shape and overall appearance of their bodies.  In 1972, 15% of men reported dissatisfied with their overall appearance.  By 1985, this had risen to 34% and by 1997, to 43%.  One in three young males want their body to be heavier and one in three want their body to be lighter. 26-30% of boys want to be thinner. However prevailing cultural values encourage many boys to desire increased size and muscle mass. 
  • 42% of young women from different cultural backgrounds (European and Asian), who are already underweight, want to weigh even less.
  • 50% of primary school children wanted to weigh less according to a survey of pre-adolescent Sydney children.  25% of seven to ten year olds have dieted to lose weight.
  • Of the women aged 70-75 in an Australian study, almost half (47%) said they would like to weigh less than they currently did.
  • 94% of Australian female university students want to be slimmer even though 31% are already underweight. Of the 13,000 young Australian women in a survey 74% wanted to weigh less. Of the young women who were already considered underweight, 30% of these still wanted to weigh less. Only 25% in the healthy weight range were happy with their weight.
  • 67% of young people envy someone else's body, 31% feel guilty about food every day, 27% use laxatives and 21% smoke as a way to lose weight. 30% are more worried about their weight than anything else including the environment, racism, Australia or their job.
  • Fashion endorses the emaciated female body shape, which is for genetic and physiological reasons impossibly to attain on a healthy diet for the vast majority of women.
  • It has been estimated that young women now see more images of outstandingly beautiful women in one day than our mothers saw throughout their entire adolescents.
  • The chances of an active Australian woman (18-35 yrs) having the same weight, height, waist and hip measurements of a shop mannequin is 1.1%, and she has no chance at all of matching the measurements of Barbie.
  • A survey of over 14,000 Australian women between the ages of 45-50 revealed that 7.1% had had some form of cosmetic surgery.

 

References

  • Dooley, R. (1991) cited in H. Royle (1992). Eating disorders and the young. Transitions: Youth Affairs Network of Queensland Journal, October 1992-February 1993.
  • Clayer,J. McFArlabe,A., Bookless,. Air, T., Wright, G., & Czechowicz, A (1995). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in rural South Australia The Medical Journal of Australia. 163 pp 124-19.Cited in The encultured body  p 6 School of Nursing Queensland University of Technology2000
  • National Institute of Mental Health. (1994). Eating Disorders. (NIH Publication No 94-3477.) Maryland: National Institute of Mental Health
  • Hsu LKG. (1996). Epidemiology of the eating disorders. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 19, 681-700.
  • Women’s Health Queensland Wide Fact Sheet 2.021. In Sanders et al (1995) Body Image, Sex Role Stereotyping and Disordered Eating Behaviours. Queensland: University of Queensland.
  • Sullivan, F.P. (1995). Mortality in Anorexia Nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152 (7), 1053-1074.
  • Sydney Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Eating Disorder Clinic cited in Girlfriend Magazine, October, 1994.
  • Banasiak, S. , Paxton, S., & Hay, P (1998.) Evaluating accessible treatments for bulimic eating disorders in primary care. Research paper University of Melbourne, and University of Adelaide
  • Wilfley, D., Agras, W., Telch, C., Rossiter, E., Schneider, J., Cole, A., Sifford, L., & Raeburn, S. (1993). Cited in Howell, P. (1999) Information on Eating Disorders for Health Practitioners. EDFV, Victoria.
  • Paxton, S. (1998). Do men get eating disorders? In Everybody Newsletter of Body Image and Health Inc. vol2, August 1998.
  • The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Conducted by Universities of Newcastle and Queensland. Commenced 1996.
  • Eating Disorders Association Queensland. Second National Mental Health Plan once again ignores eating disorders article (1998)
  • Newspoll Study: Poll shows brekky skippers abound, The Australian, 28 February, 1998.
  • Rolls, B., Federoff, I., & Guthrie, J. (1991). Gender differences in eating behaviour and body weight regulation. Health Psychology, 10, 133-142.
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  • Button, E., Loan, P., Davies, J., & Sonuga-Barke, E. (1997) Self-esteem, eating problems, and psychological well-being in a cohort of schoolgirls aged 15-16: A questionnaire and interview study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 21(1), 39-47
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  • Hamburg, P. (1996). How long is long-term therapy for Anorexia Nervosa? In I. Yalom, D. Jossey-Bass (Ed.) Treating Eating Disorders. (71-101) San Francisco.
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  • Hay, P. (1998) The Epidemiology of Eating disorder Behaviours: An Australian Community Based Survey. Dept of Psychiatry, University of Adelaide.
  • Women’s Health Queensland Wide Inc. (1997). Understanding Eating Disorders. Queensland: Women’s Health Queensland Wide Inc. and The Eating Disorders Association Resource Centre.
  • Royal Prince Henry Eating Disorders Unit, Sydney, cited in Cooke, K. (1997). Real Gorgeous. St. Leonards, Allen & Unwin.
  • Paxton, Susan (1998) “Do Men Get Eating Disorders?” in Everybody – Newsletter of Body Image and Health Inc. Vol 2 August 1998, pg 41
  • Beaumont, P. (2000). Anorexia Nervosa as a mental and physical illness – the medical perspective. In D. Gaskill and F. Sanders (Eds.). The Encultured Body – Policy Implications for Healthy Body Image and Distorted Eating Behaviours. (pp80-94) Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology.
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Last Updated 23-Oct-2009. Authorised by: Stephanie Jones. Enquiries: Michelle Roberton.
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