Eating Disorder is a mental health condition characterized by persistent and severe disturbances in eating patterns and behaviours. These disturbed eating patterns are typically associated with distressing thoughts and emotions. Eating disorders can affect the physical, psychological and emotional health of a person, sometimes even leading to life-threatening consequences. There are many types of eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa, Bulimia and binge eating disorder.
In this article, we’ll look at the prevalence of eating disorders in India.
Eating Disorders In India
Although it is difficult to get the exact data for the prevalence of eating disorders in India, the latest data published in the National Mental Health Survey, 2015 indicates that eating disorders affect almost 2 to 2.4% of the Indian population. Apart from this, other surveys conducted by licensed therapists report that the prevalence of eating disorders among the Indian population is 2-3% with a higher prevalence in women.
Research on Eating Disorders In the Indian Population
While there hasn’t been a lot of research on eating disorders in India, the findings have been interesting. Adolescents and young adults have frequently been studied in the context of eating disorders. Let’s look at the findings so far:
Research was conducted in the city of Bangalore in 2011 to study if eating disorders were on the rise in urban India. This study involved interviewing psychiatrists to find out if there was a rise in cases of eating disorders. The study found that almost 66$ of the psychiatrists had seen at least one case of Eating Disorder in the last one year, suggesting that eating disorders were not uncommon in the urban population
Research on Adolescent Females
Another study from 2013 looked at the prevalence of eating disorders in adolescent females in India. 120 females between the ages of 13-17 were a part of this study. The results found that almost 26.67% of participants in the study had disturbed eating attitudes and behaviours putting them at risk for developing an eating disorder.. The study also found that characteristics such as dissatisfaction with one’s body, perfectionism and occurrence of negative life events are associated with an increased risk of eating disorders
Research on Students
A study published in 2018 studied the prevalence of eating disorders in the student population in Mysore. The study included 70 students between the ages of 15-25 years. The research concluded that 26.06% of students surveyed showed signs of abnormal eating attitudes, suggesting a significant prevalence of eating disorders in the Mysore student population.
Eating Disorders In Medical Students
Research published in 2021 on the prevalence and risk of eating disorders in medical students in South India found that almost 13% of the total 332 students were at risk of developing an eating disorder, with the risk being equally prevalent in both males and females. Additional findings indicated that high stress and concerns around body shape are associated with eating disorders. These findings suggest that eating disorders may be highly prevalent among medical students.
Another study on 472 undergraduate students from Kerela, published in 2021, found that 19.1 % of all participants were at high risk for developing an eating disorder. The research also found that body shape concerns and symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression were significantly associated with the risk of eating disorders among the medical students. This supports the previous findings and indicates that medical students may be vulnerable to eating disorders.
Conclusion
Eating disorders are one of the most underresearched conditions in India. However, recent studies indicate that eating disorders may be on the rise in India, particularly among students and young adults. Additional research and awareness seem to be the need of the hour to chart the exact prevalence of eating disorders in India
References:
- Are eating disorders a significant clinical issue in urban India? A survey among psychiatrists in Bangalore—Chandra—2012—International Journal of Eating Disorders—Wiley Online Library. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2024, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eat.20952
- Eating Disorder Awareness Week in India 2023. (n.d.). Skooc. Retrieved October 8, 2024, from https://www.skooc.com/blog/eating-disorder-awareness-week-in-india-2023
- Eating disorders: What you need to Know | MGM Healthcare. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2024, from https://mgmhealthcare.in/eating-disorders-what-you-need-to-know/
- Indian Journal of Psychiatry. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2024, from https://journals.lww.com/indianjpsychiatry/fulltext/2018/60040/eating_disorders__prevalence_in_the_student.9.aspx
- Iyer, S., & Shriraam, V. (n.d.). Prevalence of Eating Disorders and Its Associated Risk Factors in Students of a Medical College Hospital in South India. Cureus, 13(1), e12926. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.12926
- Tomy, C., V, A. L., Mathew, K. A., & Jith, A. (2021). Risk of eating disorders and its association with body image concerns, depression, anxiety and stress among medical students in a college in Kerala. Kerala Journal of Psychiatry, 34(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.30834/KJP.34.2.2021.278
- Upadhyah, A. A., Misra, R., Parchwani, D. N., & Maheria, P. B. (1970). Prevalence and risk factors for eating disorders in Indian adolescent females. National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 4(2), 153–153. https://doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2014.4.041220131
