ABSTRACT
Objectives of review. Epidemiological studies of eating disorders published between 2003 and 2005 were reviewed to examine the distribution of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED) in the population.
Summary of recent findings. In females, the reported point prevalence estimates of AN ranged from 0 to 1.5 while estimates of BN ranged from 0.37 to 3.0. Females’ lifetime prevalence estimates for AN ranged from 0.6 to 4.0 and from 1.2 to 5.9 for BN. AN and BN were rare among males. For BED, point prevalence ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 and lifetime estimates ranged from 0.6 to 2.7. Methodological limitations of studies include the variability in instruments used to diagnose eating disorders and the lack of an agreed definition for Eating Disorders, Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS).
Future directions. Epidemiological data from a nationally representative sample in the US are needed. Future research should examine the prevalence of EDNOS, pending the development of a universal definition of this disorder.
