A preliminary study of EAT and BITE scores for one school year in Bermuda: increased early anorexic measures related to socio-economic factors.
BACKGROUND
Bermuda is a unique heterogeneous ethnic population in which it is possible to study the interaction of ethnicity, culture, gender and economic factors that influence abnormal eating attitudes.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of 836 adolescents, one total school year in Bermuda. The BITE and EAT self-report questionnaires were administered in a classroom setting. The analysis was for caseness and for total scores. Caseness represents possible developing anorexic or bulimic eating disorder pathology for this non-adult population.


RESULTS
7.3% fulfilled EAT caseness, 0.24% fulfilled BITE caseness. There was no gender or ethnic difference for caseness. Multivariate analysis for EAT caseness found Odds Ratios of 2.89 (95% CI 1.37, 6.11) for Manual maternal job status.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the limitation of a questionnaire analysis, lower socioeconomic status increases the risk of possible eating disorder pathology in this adolescent population. Developing anorexic eating attitudes were more prevalent compared to bulimic attitudes for schoolchildren in this unique cultural setting.
Marlowe
Karl
K
Lambeth Early Onset Services, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK. karlmarlowe@doctors.org.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001605:Bermuda; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors