A new study led by Washington University in St. Louis shatters stereotypes about eating disorders, revealing that they affect college students across all racial and ethnic groups. The study encourages a more inclusive understanding and approach to mental health on campuses nationwide.
Eating disorders among college students are more prevalent and diverse than previously thought, according to a new study led by Washington University in St. Louis. This research, published in The International Journal of Eating Disorders, reveals that eating disorders do not discriminate based on race or ethnicity, challenging long-held stereotypes about who suffers from these conditions.
“There’s been a perception that eating disorders mostly affect thin, white women,” Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at WashU, said in a news release. “Our study of college students dispels that myth.”
Funded by a National Institute of Mental Health grant, the study surveyed nearly 30,000 students from 26 colleges and universities, including WashU. The comprehensive assessment included questions about mental health, body image and attitudes toward food, offering unprecedented insight into the scope of eating disorders on campuses.
The results were staggering: approximately 13% of respondents showed signs of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
Notably, the risk of these disorders was relatively uniform across white, Black, Asian and Latino students.
“No matter their racial or ethnic background, these students all live in a culture that encourages or expects individuals to conform to certain body ideals,” added Fitzsimmons-Craft, who is also an associate professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine. “These findings show that eating disorders can happen to anyone.”
One of the study’s critical revelations is that eating disorders often coexist with other mental health issues, such as major depressive disorder. For example, up to 78% of women and 68% of men with eating disorders also showed signs of depression.
“In the past, health professionals would often put eating disorders and other psychological problems in completely different silos,” Fitzsimmons-Craft added. “That approach caused a lot of damage.”
The study’s findings support a more integrated approach to mental health care on college campuses. Counselors and doctors are encouraged to ask about eating habits when treating conditions like depression, anxiety or alcohol use disorder.
Fitzsimmons-Craft and her colleague Denise Wilfley, a professor of psychological and brain sciences and of medicine, pediatrics and psychiatry in the School of Medicine at WashU, are actively working to address this hidden crisis through Body U, an online program funded by the Missouri Eating Disorders Council.
Available to all adults in Missouri, Body U offers online screening and tailored programs for disordered eating, providing essential resources and referrals for those in need.
Body U’s reach extends to every public university in Missouri, and thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it is now available in six public school districts and two private schools, targeting middle and high school students at a critical time.
“We’re going to stay committed to these efforts,” Fitzsimmons-Craft concluded. “We want awareness about eating disorders to become part of the culture, and we want widespread access to screening, prevention and treatment to become the norm, not the exception.