FACTS AND FIGURES
Learn about statistics, trends, and other relevant insights for behavioral health practitioners working to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes for people in underserved communities.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders affect roughly 2.8 million Americans annually and have significant social and economic impacts,
which cost the U.S. an estimated 64.7 billion each year.
1 While often stereotyped as an issue for affluent young
women, these disorders are increasingly prevalent among males, older adults aged 44 and above, and those in lower-income
households.
2
Barriers like stigma and limited resources disproportionately affect lower-income and underserved communities. Among multiethnic
and low-income adolescents, 28% reported disordered eating behaviors, with participants being primarily Hispanic (47%) and
African American (46%).
3
Source:
Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Communities
Please see SAMHSA’s and other resources for addressing eating disorders:
References
- 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. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/striped/report-economic-costs-of-eating-disorders/ .
- Mitchison, D., Hay, P., Slewa-Younan, S., & Mond, J. (2014). The changing demographic profile of eating disorder behaviors in the community. BMC Public Health, 14(943). https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-14-943 .
- Najjar, R.H., Jacob, E., & Evangelista, L. (2018). Eating behaviors, weight bias and psychological functioning in multi-ethnic low-income adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 38,81-87. https://www.pediatricnursing.org/article/S0882-5963(17)30427-X/abstract .