Health

How do eating disorders develop in children?


Early intervention is essential to minimize harm, but researchers know little about how eating disorders begin and progress before adolescence. A new study of nearly 12,000 9- and 10-year-olds, published this week in

, provides key insights that help fill that gap. The researchers examined how age, sex, weight, and stage of puberty were related to behaviors such as binge eating and vomiting for weight control.

The study’s lead author, Stuart Murray, DClinPsych, PhD, Associate Professor Della Martin, said: “The first important thing to draw is that these behaviors are more common than we’ve seen before, at rates common up to 5%. psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Eating Disorders Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.

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Contrary to cultural assumptions, the researchers found that boys and girls are equally likely to engage in disordered eating. The analysis also revealed that children with a higher body mass index (BMI), as well as those of higher puberty, face an increased risk.

The findings help map the scope of the problem in this age group and point to biological risk factors that could ultimately lead to more targeted solutions, Murray said.

“The earlier these behaviors are detected, the more likely we are to treat them,” he said. “These findings open the door to the development of more timely and accurate prevention efforts.”

Risk quantification

The researchers used data from 11,878 children, ages 9 to 10, collected between 2016 and 2018 through the NIH-funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, a study largest long-term in terms of child brain development and health in the United States. Instead of studying eating disorders entirely – which are rare and difficult to detect in children – Murray and his colleagues analyzed disordered eating behaviors, which can provide clues about who is at risk. chance of more severe symptoms.

The team studied binge eating, vomiting for weight control, and other behaviors (such as exercise or calorie restriction) aimed at preventing weight gain. Five percent of the children in the study had binge eating, while 2.5% took steps to avoid weight gain.

In addition to measuring the overall prevalence of disordered eating, the researchers looked for associations between those behaviors and gender, BMI and stage of puberty. They found no gender difference, which suggests that boys face the same risks as girls.

“We tend to think that eating disorders mainly affect girls, but there is increasing data showing that boys struggle just as much,” says Murray. “This is a call to arms to make sure we’re taking those cases seriously.”

Further children in puberty face high disparities in the adoption of measures to prevent weight gain. The researchers also found that children with a higher BMI than children with a lower BMI engaged in all of the disordered eating behaviors studied – binge eating, vomiting, and bingeing. Take other actions to avoid weight gain.

Improved screening and prevention

The results of the study could improve the prevention of eating disorders by highlighting who is most at risk, says Murray. For example, pediatricians and middle schools may choose to increase monitoring and screening of children with high BMIs and who begin puberty before their peers. Educational efforts for both physicians and parents should also emphasize that boys face the same risks as girls.

Murray and his team are also studying the neurobiology underlying eating disorder behaviors, including through a recent study that showed differences in brain structure between children with and without the disorder. binge eating disorder.

Source: Eurekalert



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