Profiling disordered eating patterns and body mass index (BMI) in the English general population

• Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Vol. 48; no. 5; pp. 783 - 793
• Main Authors: McBride, Orla, McManus, Sally, Thompson, Joanne, Palmer, Robert L., Brugha, Traolach
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-05-2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Adults; Anorexia; Anxiety; Anxiety disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Bulimia; Comorbidity; Eating behavior; Eating behavior disorders; Eating disorders; England - epidemiology; Epidemiology; Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology; Female; Health aspects; Health surveys; Humans; Latent class analysis; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental health; Miscellaneous; Original Paper; Population; Population Surveillance; Primary care; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Quality of Life; Regression analysis; Social research; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Women; United Kingdom; Europe; England; United Kingdom > UK; British Isles, England; General population survey; Disordered eating patterns; Adults; SCOFF; Eating disorders; Human; Social environment; Prevalence; Mental health; Eating disorder; Epidemiology; Body mass index; Concomitant disease; Social behavior; Social interaction; Population-based survey; Young adult; Risk factor; Adult; Elderly; Public health
• ISSN: 0933-7954; 1433-9285
• DOI: 10.1007/s00127-012-0613-7

Purpose
Little national evidence exists on disordered eating patterns in the UK. This study examined the prevalence and nature of disordered eating patterns in the National Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007.
Method
Responses to the screening tool for eating disorders (SCOFF) and body mass index (BMI) were analysed using latent class analysis (
n
 = 7,001). Multinomial logistic regression explored the associations between latent classes and mental health comorbidities.
Results
The prevalence of possible eating disorders in England using the SCOFF was 6.3 %; this decreased to 1.6 % when accounting for the negative impact feelings about food had on the respondent’s life. Five latent classes were identified: classes 1 and 2 resembled known eating disorders (‘marginal anorexia’ relating to anorexia nervosa and ‘binge eaters’ relating to bulimia nervosa/binge eating disorder); class 3 consisted of people who were obese, but did not experience eating problems; class 4 was morbidly obese, with an elevated risk of anxiety disorders; class 5 was labelled as ‘normal eaters’, with a low probability of eating problems and a normal BMI.
Conclusions
Adults assigned to eating disorder type classes are at increased risk for mental health comorbidities and poorer social functioning. Information presented herein on clustering of disordered eating patterns may help clinicians identify those men and women risk for an eating disorder.