Is the prevalence of bulimia nervosa higher among tertiary education populations?
In this study the prevalence of bulimia nervosa was estimated among 243 women in a tertiary educational setting. The results showed 43.6% (95% CI, 37.4 to 49.8) to report binge eating, the cardinal feature of bulimia nervosa, at some stage in the past and 2.5% (95% CI, 1.0 to 5.6) the full criteria for current bulimia nervosa. These figures are significantly higher than those reported recently for a general population sample in the same age range. Despite methodological differences between the two surveys the results give some support to claims that women in these settings are at a greater risk of developing eating disorders.
Welch
G
G
Department of Psychological Medicine, Wellington School of Medicine.
Hall
A
A
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards