Epidemiology of Eating Disorders in Madrid (Spain).

Abstract

Objective: The authors evaluated the prevalence of eating disorders (ED) in a representative community-based sample and the demographic factors associated with ED. Method: The study used a two-stage epidemiological design. The study population was a randomly selected sample of 1,543 students (12 to 21 year-old men and women) in the region of Madrid (Spain). A demographic factors test, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40) and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) were administered in the first stage. 602 students: 332 who screened positively in EAT-40 or/and EDE-Q and 270 controls were interviewed in the second stage with the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE). Results: The prevalence of ED was 3.3% (47 women and 4 men). The prevalence rates were: 5.13% for women: 2.73% eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS); 2.29% bulimia nervosa (BN) and 0.11% anorexia nervosa (AN); and 0.64% for men: 0.48% EDNOS; 0.16% BN and 0.00% AN. Some demographic factors showed to be associated with ED included: sex, age, single child, mono-parental families and father or mother’s death. Odds ratio was superior for women (OR = 8.4), over 19 year-old students (OR = 4), single children (OR = 2), those who live only with a progenitor (OR = 4) and those whose mother or father was dead (OR = 6). Discussion: The AN prevalence rate was probably underestimated in this study, because two subjects who were receiving treatment for AN at the time of the study were not included as AN cases. Despite the methodological improvements over previous epidemiological studies made in Spain, there were no significant differences in the prevalence rate.