Article

Time trends in eating disturbances in young Greek migrants.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
International Journal of Eating Disorders (impact factor: 2.95). 01/2006; 38(4):310-22. DOI:10.1002/eat.20187 pp.310-22
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT The study intends to measure time trends in eating disorder psychopathology in Greek adolescents in Veria (Greece) and migrant Greek adolescents in Munich (Germany). For this purpose, large samples of students were assessed at both locations in the 1980s and about two decades later. Our research question was whether the frequency of eating disorder-related psychopathology had changed over time and that there were differences between migrants and nonmigrants. The present-day prevalence of eating disorders in the Greek population was established.
Greek adolescents were assessed in Munich and Veria in the 1980s (N = 2,631) and almost two decades later (N = 2,920). At both times, the Anorexia Nervosa Inventory for Self-Rating (ANIS) was used to assess eating disorder pathology and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used to assess mental health status. In the second wave, persons at risk for an eating disorder were interviewed using the Structured Interview for Anorexic and Bulimic Syndromes (SIAB-EX).
At both times and both locations, adolescent girls in comparison to boys had higher, more pathologic scores on the GHQ-28 and on all ANIS self-rating subscales. Females in Munich reported an increase over time in figure consciousness and their fear of negative effects of meals. In the 1980s, significantly higher scores of bulimic behavior were found in Veria as compared with Munich. In the second wave, bulimic behavior was considerably decreased in Veria for both girls and boys, and for bulimic behavior no significant differences were found between locations. The percentage of girls with a low body weight (<5th percentile) increased significantly over time in Veria and Munich. In the second wave, the current prevalence for girls with anorexia nervosa was 0.00% in Munich and 0.59% in Veria (lifetime 1.26% and 1.18%, respectively). For bulimia nervosa, current prevalence was 1.89% in Munich and 1.18% in Veria.
Differences between locations diminished over time. Bulimic syndromes are prevalent in both locations.

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    Article: Eating disorder behaviors are increasing: findings from two sequential community surveys in South Australia.
    Phillipa J Hay, Jonathan Mond, Petra Buttner, Anita Darby
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Evidence for an increase in the prevalence of eating disorders is inconsistent. Our aim was to determine change in the population point prevalence of eating disorder behaviors over a 10-year period. Eating disorder behaviors were assessed in consecutive general population surveys of men and women conducted in 1995 (n = 3001, 72% respondents) and 2005 (n = 3047, 63.1% respondents). Participants were randomly sampled from households in rural and metropolitan South Australia. There was a significant (all p<0.01) and over two-fold increase in the prevalence of binge eating, purging (self-induced vomiting and/or laxative or diuretic misuse) and strict dieting or fasting for weight or shape control among both genders. The most common diagnosis in 2005 was either binge eating disorder or other "eating disorders not otherwise specified" (EDNOS; n = 119, 4.2%). In this population sample the point prevalence of eating disorder behaviors increased over the past decade. Cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, as currently defined, remain uncommon.
    PLoS ONE 01/2008; 3(2):e1541. · 4.09 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

adolescent girls
 
ANIS self-rating subscales
 
anorexia nervosa
 
Anorexia Nervosa Inventory
 
bulimia nervosa
 
Bulimic Syndromes
 
current prevalence
 
disorders
 
eating disorder
 
General Health Questionnaire
 
Greek adolescents
 
Greek population
 
low body weight
 
measure time trends
 
migrant Greek adolescents
 
nonmigrants
 
present-day prevalence
 
research question
 
second wave
 
two decades