Who is Impacted by Eating Disorders?

Alarmingly, the prevalence of eating disorders among post-secondary students is significantly greater than the current national prevalence estimate, with peer-reviewed research studies reporting rates between 8-17% (Eisenberg et al., 2011). International research suggests a 4-5% prevalence rate in North America, and it is estimated that between 840,000 and 1.75 million people in Canada have symptoms sufficient for an eating disorder diagnosis (Deloitte, 2024). Moreover, a recent report from Mental Health Research Canada (2024) reported that 45% of Canadians under 35 years of age exhibit behaviours consistent that make them at high risk for an eating disorder.

Although eating disorders are most prevalent in adolescents and young adults, people of all ages, genders, racial identities, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, abilities, socio-economic backgrounds, body sizes, or weights can have an eating disorder. Eating disorders do not discriminate. You cannot tell whether someone has an eating disorder simply by looking at them, nor can you determine what type of eating disorder a person has based on their body size or weight (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders [ANAD], 2021).

Popular media depictions of eating disorders often perpetuate the myth that only young, thin, affluent, white, cisgender women experience eating disorders and disordered eating. However, eating disorders affect around 5–10% of adolescent boys and 2% of adult men (Trompeter et al., 2021). Alarmingly, up to 30% of men frequently engage in extreme weight-controlling behaviours (Trompeter et al., 2021). While dieting and purging are seen less often, binge eating and excessive exercise are more common among men (Trompeter et al., 2021). Rates of eating disorders are similar in boys and men across socio-economic status and ethnicity, however, transmasculine folks are six times more likely to have an eating disorder compared to their cisgender male peers (Trompeter et al., 2021). Moreover, men and boys are less likely to access treatment and support. Barriers to seeking help include stigma, gender roles/toxic masculinity, and lower mental health literacy (Trompeter et al., 2021).

Scholars argue that colonialism and white supremacy intersect and inform eating disorders and eating disorder treatment. For more information on these complex processes see the following resources:

• Stepping away from the Campfire: Decolonizing the Concept of Eating Disorders through an Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy Lens
• The Impacts of Colonialism and Structural Racism on Body Image of Women of Color Living with Disordered Eating/li>
• First Nations Elders in Northwestern Ontario’s perspectives of health, body image and eating disorders

Further, certain identity groups may be more likely to have eating disorders. For example, transgender and gender diverse post-secondary students may be 15 times more likely to experience eating disorder symptoms than their cisgender peers (Duffy et al., 2018).

Eating disorders not only affect the individual but can also have a profound impact on those around them. Those in a support role such as family, friends, romantic partners, and roommates may experience confusion, guilt, helplessness, or fear, which can take a toll on their mental health. It is crucial that those in a support role also have access to support while they are helping someone else (Beat Eating Disorders, 2020).

Recommendation

Recognize that eating disorders do not discriminate and that students have specific risk factors for developing eating disorders or disordered eating.