Quality of life and bulimic eating disorder behaviors: findings from a community-based sample.
OBJECTIVE
The aims were to test relationships between bulimic eating disorder behaviors, and measures of quality of life, and to replicate previous findings with respect to their prevalence and distribution in a representative sample.


METHODS
Data were obtained from 3010 interviews of a randomly selected sample of 4400 adult households. Quality of life was assessed with the SF-36 Health Status Measure and the Australian Quality of Life Survey.


RESULTS
Eating disorder behaviors were associated with significantly lower quality of life scores. On MANOVA, regular current binge eating explained 23% (p < 0.001) of the variance in SF-36 physical and mental health component scores, and extreme weight control behaviors explained 5% (p = 0.001). The main findings of the former South Australian survey were replicated. The mean duration of behaviors since onset was 6.6 (SD, 9.2; median 3) years.


CONCLUSIONS
Eating disorder behaviors were associated with poorer quality of life and were often chronic.
Hay
Phillipa
P
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia. phillipa.hay@adelaide.edu.au
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002032:Bulimia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology