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.
Moya
Tatiana
T
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
Fleitlich-Bilyk
Bacy
B
Goodman
Robert
R
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