The prevalence of eating disorders and weight-control methods among young women: a Hungarian representative study

✍ Scribed by Irena Szumska; Ferenc Túry; Csilla T. Csoboth; János Réthelyi; György Purebl; Ágnes Hajnal

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 84 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1072-4133
• DOI: 10.1002/erv.633

✦ Synopsis

The aim of this study is to analyse data concerning 15-24-year-old Hungarian women to estimate the prevalence of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and subclinical eating disorders. A cross-sectional representative survey was conducted among 3615 young women using a self-report questionnaire. The point prevalence of anorexia nervosa was 0.03%, of bulimia nervosa 0.41%, of subclinical anorexia nervosa 1.09% and of subclinical bulimia nervosa 1.48%. Our results show that 6.3% of the sample were 'dieting' daily, 7% exercised daily, 2.7% reported binge eating, and use of laxatives, diet pills and self-induced vomiting at least twice a week was reported by 0.7%, 0.9% and 0.2%, respectively. This study was the first to be conducted on a nationally representative sample of young women in Hungary. The data are also analysed within a cross-cultural perspective, comparing data from other Central-Eastern European and western countries.