Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2024
This year, Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) falls from February 26, 2024 - March 3, 2024. So why is this week so important? Eating disorders are complex mental and medical illnesses that are influenced by genetics, environment, biology, and social factors. Let’s take a look at some statistics:
About 9% of the US population will have an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime. That’s 28.8 million Americans (Deloitte Access Economics, 2020).
Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of all mental health disorders (Arcelus, J., et al., 2011).
Worldwide, 22% of children and adolescents will demonstrate signs of disordered eating (López-Gil, J. F., 2023).
Every year, about 3.3 million healthy years of life are lost worldwide because of eating disorders (van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W., 2020).
1 person dies every 52 minutes as a direct consequence of eating disorders (Deloitte Access Economics, 2020).
The theme for this year’s EDAW is “Get in the Know.” Understanding what an eating disorder is and the impact it has on individuals, families, and communities is an important step in increasing equitable access to treatment.
Research and Advocacy Matters
In order to understand the most effective treatments for various eating disorders, well funded research and policy advocacy at both the local and national levels is critically important. However, eating disorders typically receive less federal funding than other serious mental illnesses (Blackwell et al., 2021). For example, for each individual diagnosed with an eating disorder, there is about $0.73 of federal funding. We can compare this to funding for an illness like schizophrenia, which receives about $86.97 per individual diagnosed. To get involved, take a look at the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC), which has the goal to educate and work with Congress to influence federal policy and funding related to eating disorders. The EDC has several ways to take action, including pre-made email templates that take less than a minute to send to your Representatives and Senators in support of important legislation.
Access Matters
Despite such significant medical, psychological, and social consequences, only 1 in 5 individuals with an eating disorder seek treatment (Liu, L., Hay, P., & Conti, J., 2022). Unfortunately, barriers to treatment access include lack of eating disorder specialists, cost of treatment, not having health insurance coverage, feelings of shame and stigma, and lack of awareness that one is experiencing an eating disorder. Individuals in higher-weight bodies are also 2-3 times more likely to engage in disordered eating behavior; however, are less likely to receive an eating disorder diagnosis (Ramaswamy. N., & Ramaswamy. N., 2023). Additionally, clinician bias can affect treatment access, as clinicians are less likely to identify eating disorder behaviors in Black and Hispanic women, despite displaying the same symptoms as White women (Gordon. K. H., Brattole, M. M,. Wingate, L. R., & Joiner, T. E., Jr, 2006).
Resources
Find treatment in your area at NEDA or Alliance for Eating Disorders
A booklist for professionals and individuals compiled by the Renfrew Center
*Thank you to the National Eating Disorder Association for providing a compilation of statistics, research, and resources that were made shareable during EDAW*
References
Arcelus, J., Mitchell, A. J., Wales, J., & Nielsen, S. (2011). Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders. A meta-analysis of 36 studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 724-31. doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.74
Blackwell, D., et al (2021). The legacy of hope summit: A consensus-based initiative and report on eating disorders in the U.S. and recommendations for the path forward. Journal of Eating Disorders, 9(1), 145. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-021-00501-w
Deloitte Access Economics (2020). The Social and Economic Cost of Eating Disorders in the United States of America: A Report for the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders and the Academy for Eating Disorders. Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/striped/report-economic-costs-of-eating-disorders/.
Gordon, K. H., Brattole, M. M., Wingate, L. R., & Joiner, T. E., Jr. (2006). The impact of client race on clinician detection of eating disorders. Behavior Therapy, 37(4), 319–325. doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2005.12.002
López-Gil, J. F., et al (2023). Global Proportion of Disordered Eating in Children and Adolescents. JAMA Pediatrics. doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.5848
Liu, L., Hay, P. & Conti, J. (2022). Perspectives on barriers to treatment engagement of people with eating disorder symptoms who have not undergone treatment: A qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry 22(239). doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03890-7
Ramaswamy. N., & Ramaswamy. N. (2023). Overreliance on BMI and delayed care for patients with higher BMI and disordered eating. AMA Journal of Ethics, 25(7), 540-544. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2023.540.
van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W. (2020). Review of the burden of eating disorders: Mortality, disability, costs, quality of life, and family burden. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 33(6), 521–527. doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000641
Looking for further consultation regarding eating disorders? Get started with Dr. Hosford.