The changing profile of eating disorders at a tertiary psychiatric clinic in Hong Kong (1987-2007).
OBJECTIVE
To examine the clinical profile of Chinese eating disorder patients at a tertiary psychiatric clinic in Hong Kong from 1987 to 2007.


METHODS
Data on 195 consecutive patients were retrieved from a standardized intake interview by an eating disorder specialist. Patients seen between 1987-1997 (n = 67) and 1998-2007 (n = 128) and fat-phobic (n = 76) and nonfat-phobic (n = 39) anorexic patients were compared.


RESULTS
Patients were predominantly single (91.8%), female (99.0%), in their early-20s and suffered from anorexia (n = 115; 59.0%) or bulimia (n = 78; 40.0%) nervosa. The number of patients increased twofold across the two periods. Bulimia nervosa became more common while anorexia nervosa exhibited an increasingly fat-phobic pattern. Nonfat-phobic anorexic patients exhibited significantly lower premorbid body weight, less body dissatisfaction, less weight control behavior, and lower EAT-26 scores than fat-phobic anorexic patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical profile of eating disorders in Hong Kong has increasingly conformed to that of Western countries.
Lee
Sing
S
Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. singlee@cuhk.edu.hk
Ng
King Lam
KL
Kwok
Kathleen
K
Fung
Corina
C
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D055815:Young Adult