Overview
This session will provide an overview of the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) and eating difficulties among young people and emerging adults from two large population-based studies: The Mental Health of Children and Young People National Survey (MHCYP) 2023 and the OxWell 2023 Student Survey. The number of urgent and emergency referrals to specialised children and young people’s (CYP) ED services in England almost doubled post pandemic. Numerous theories have been posited around why the pandemic created such a ‘perfect storm’ for ED onset, many suggesting that disrupted peer relationships and reliance on social media for social connection may be factors. However, the question whether this increase reflects increases in prevalence of eating difficulties and EDs in the general population, remains to be answered.
From a public health perspective, accurate, timely prevalence estimates are crucial for effective service planning and commissioning, while differences in prevalence among studies and factors that might explain them such as socioeconomic and environmental influences, could identify therapeutic or policy targets. Overall, in this session, delegates will gain an accurate picture of the current public health crisis of disordered eating in England's children and young people and will learn about potential intervention targets.
Objectives
Topic 1 - Eating disorders and social media use in the OxWell survey - Professor Mina Fazel
In this session, we will present findings from over 30,000 students who completed the 2023 OxWell Student Survey. We will explore associations of eating disorders and social media use - looking at depression, anxiety, self harm, feeling of safety, loneliness and sleep.
We will present data on the different types of social media that are used and how this compares to students who do not have symptoms suggestive of an eating disorder.
We will present data on time spent on social media, main reasons why they are using social media and discuss implications for intervention and policy.
Topic 2 - Eating disorders in the National Survey - was there a true increase in the prevalence? - Clara Faria, MPhil candidate
The Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys have illustrated a massive increase in eating problems in 2021, 2022 and in 2023 included a diagnostic assessment of eating disorders (results embargoed until 21 November 2023). This talk will explore the prevalence of eating disorders compared to the 2017 survey among 11 to 16 year olds and 17 to 19 year olds and report the prevalence for 20 to 25 year olds.
The Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys is a series of nationally representative surveys looking at the mental health of young people aged 7 to 25 years living in England. In the survey, we also look at their household circumstances and experiences of education, employment and access to services. To estimate the prevalence of mental health conditions, the surveys use the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA), a multi informant standardised diagnostic interview.
The talk will also explore the relationship between baseline sociodemographic characteristics with subsequent disorder and which types of eating difficulties predicted subsequent disorder as well as continuity of eating problems over time.
Topic 3 - Social functioning in adolescent eating disorders - a neglected target for interventions - Professor Dasha Nicholls
Deficits in social functioning are well described in people with eating disorders (ED), but are not routinely the focus of interventions in children and young people (CYP). We will present data from over 900 young people in community settings, which shows a strong relationship between reflective function and disordered eating behaviour.
We will also present data from over 1200 clinical cases exploring the relationship between social function and treatment outcome. Moreover, this talk will examine the potential of specific facets of social function as targets for prevention and early intervention in adolescent eating disorders.
Speakers
Chair: Professor Tamsin Ford, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
Professor Mina Fazel, University of Oxford, Oxford
Dr Clara Faria, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
Professor Dasha Nicholls, Imperial College London, London
