Eating disorder statistics can be overwhelming, so I think it pays to put them in perspective. At a 1997 Congressional briefing on eating disorders, Lisa Berzins, PhD, said, "Young girls have indicated in surveys that they are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of cancer, nuclear war, or losing their parents."
It occurs to me, then, that girls are saying, "If I have to choose between keeping my parents and being thin, I'll ditch the parents." You can come up with similar statements involving cancer and nuclear war if you like. Being fat, it's clear, is a very frightening prospect for young girls.
So it's no wonder that dieting and eating disorders take such a prominent place statistically. With this in mind, here are some selected stats that describe just how deep the problems go.
Statistics on Recognized Eating Disorders
Anorexia Statistics: Anorexia has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder, and it tends to start early in life.
More: Symptoms and risk factors for anorexia
Bulimia Statistics: Though more common than anorexia, those with bulimia are very unlikely to pursue treatment.
More: Diagnosing bulimia and key behaviors
Binge-Eating Disorder Statistics: Binge-eating disorder, though not yet an official diagnosis of its own, is more common than anorexia and bulimia combined.
More: What do you know about binge-eating disorder?
More Eating Disorder Statistics (Not Disorder-Specific)
- Estimates of the number of women in the United States who have eating disorders range from 7 to 10 million. It is thought that 1 million men also suffer from eating disorders. In the UK, eating disorders are present in at least 1.1 million people.
- A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders suggests that 70% of those with eating disorders take over 5 years to recover.
- 40% of Americans have experienced an eating disorder or know someone who has.
- Female athletes are more susceptible to eating disorders than the general population. Estimates of eating disorder prevalence in female athletes is thought to be between 15% and 62%.
More: Why do eating disorders affect women more often than men?
More: Why is it hard to leave an eating disorder behind?
Statistics on Body Image and Dieting:
- Four of every five women in the United States are dissatisfied with their appearance.
- 7-9% of those practicing "normal dieting" will advance to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.
- 45% of women in the United States are dieting today, as are 25% of men.
- According to a 1996 study, 95% of dieters will regain weight they lose within five years.
- Amount of money spent on dieting and weight-loss-related spending per year: $40 billion.
- As early as 1991, a study found that 81% of 10-year-olds fear that they will become fat.
- A survey of women on a college campus found that 91% had tried to diet to control their weight.
More: What makes dieting lead toward eating disorders?
More: What does it mean to eat in a healthy way instead?
More: How the media may affect body image and eating disorders
More: How should parents handle sending their teens with eating disorders away to college?
Sources:
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. "Statistics: How Many People Have Eating Disorders?" 2006. Formerly at http://www.anred.com/stats.html (link now defunct). Accessed 26 June 2008.
Berzins, Lisa. "Statement of Lisa Berzins, PhD, at the APA Co-Sponsored Congressional Briefing." At apa.org. 2008. Accessed 26 June 2008.
"Eating Disorder Statistics (UK)." At disordered-eating.co.uk. 2008. Accessed 26 June 2008.
National Eating Disorders Association, 2006. "Statistics: Eating Disorders and Their Precursors." Accessed 26 June 2008.
