Disordered Eating in Early Adolescence: Disparities Among Minoritised Youth.
Brittany Daniel, Avital Suissa, Jianfang Liu and 3 others
PMID 39384554WHAT IT FOUND
Gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and Hispanic early adolescents were more likely to report weight worry, weight-control behaviors, and binge eating than their peers.
Asian adolescents were less likely to report binge eating than White peers. Nurses can ask about these symptoms.
Key findings
01After accounting for other factors, gay or bisexual adolescents were more likely than heterosexual adolescents to report weight worry, weight-control behaviors, and binge eating.
02After accounting for other factors, transgender adolescents were more likely than cisgender adolescents to report binge eating, and adolescents questioning their gender identity were more likely to report weight worry.
03After accounting for other factors, Hispanic adolescents were more likely than non-Hispanic adolescents to report weight worry, weight-control behaviors, and binge eating; Asian adolescents were less likely than White adolescents to report binge eating.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that identity caused disordered eating or that symptoms caused identity. Sexual and gender identity were measured with single questions, which may not fully capture these identities. The sample was predominantly heterosexual, cisgender, White, and non-Hispanic, so some groups had few participants and may not have had enough statistical power. 1,029 participants were excluded because they had missing data on all disordered eating outcomes. Small numbers in some racial categories were combined, so those groups could not be analysed separately. The study measured symptoms in the past two weeks, not eating disorder diagnoses.
Declared interests
The authors reported no real or perceived conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that being gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, Hispanic, or in some other racial group causes disordered eating. The study measured associations at one time point and cannot show cause and effect.