Brief report: young people at risk for eating disorders in Southeast Brazil.
A representative sample of 7-14-year-old young people in southeast Brazil (N=1251) was assessed using standardized parent and youth interviews, thereby identifying an 'at-risk' group of young people who met one or more DSM-IV criteria for anorexia and/or bulimia nervosa. These young people were compared with an age and gender matched comparison group for body mass index (BMI) and socio-economic status (SES). The prevalence of young people at risk for eating disorders was 1.4% (higher in females and rising with age). 'At-risk' individuals did not differ from controls in BMI but were of higher SES. In Brazil, the link between symptoms of eating disorders and higher SES is not just a referral artefact but is evident in a representative community sample. This might reflect a stronger preference for thinness among more westernized social groups.
Childhood and Adolescence Eating Disorders' Attending, Teaching and Research Project (PROTAD), Bulimia and Eating Disorders Outpatient Program (AMBULIM), Institute of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo, Pinheiros, SP, Brazil. tatimoya@uol.com.br
Tatiana
T
Moya
Bacy
B
Fleitlich-Bilyk
Robert
R
Goodman
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires