Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of eating disorders amongst women in mid-life: a population-based study of diagnoses and risk factors

BMC Medicine

Research Article

Jennifer J. Thomas¹  Kamryn T. Eddy¹  Cynthia M. Bulik²  Ellie Russell³  Janet Treasure⁴  Nadia Micali⁵  Maria G. Martini⁶  Radha Kothari⁶ 

[1] Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA;Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK;Eating Disorders Research Unit, Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK;Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA;Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA;Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK;Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK;

关键词: Eating disorders;    Anorexia nervosa;    Bulimia nervosa;    Binge eating disorder;    ALSPAC;    Women;    Mid-life;    Prevalence;    Risk factors;    Childhood;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12916-016-0766-4

 received in 2016-08-19, accepted in 2016-11-26,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundEating disorders (EDs) are common amongst women; however, no research has specifically investigated the lifetime/12-month prevalence of eating disorders amongst women in mid-life (i.e., fourth and fifth decade of life) and the relevant longitudinal risk factors. We aimed to investigate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of EDs and lifetime health service use and to identify childhood, parenting, and personality risk factors.MethodsThis is a two-phase prevalence study, nested within an existing longitudinal community-based sample of women in mid-life. A total of 5658 women from the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; enrolled 20 years earlier) participated. ED diagnoses were obtained using validated structured interviews. Weighted analyses were carried out accounting for the two-phase methodology to obtain prevalence figures and to carry out risk factor regression analyses.ResultsBy mid-life, 15.3% (95% confidence intervals, 13.5–17.4%) of women had met criteria for a lifetime ED. The 12-month prevalence of EDs was 3.6%. Childhood sexual abuse was prospectively associated with all binge/purge type disorders and an external locus of control was associated with binge-eating disorder. Better maternal care was protective for bulimia nervosa. Childhood life events and interpersonal sensitivity were associated with all EDs.ConclusionsBy mid-life a significant proportion of women will experience an ED, and few women accessed healthcare. Active EDs are common in mid-life, both due to new onset and chronic disorders. Increased awareness of the full spectrum of EDs in this stage of life and adequate service provision is important. This is the first study to investigate childhood and personality risk factors for full threshold and sub-threshold EDs and to identify common predictors for full and sub-threshold EDs. Further research should clarify the role of preventable risk factors on both full and sub-threshold EDs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017