Teens from deprived backgrounds more likely to have eating disorders

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-08-21 01:00

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Teens who come from more deprived backgrounds are more likely to have eating disorders, according to a UK study, which found it was especially true for those whose parents struggled to afford the essentials. The study also found that teens whose parents only had the compulsory level of education were also at a higher risk of developing disordered eating compared with teens whose parents had university educations.

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From: JAMA

Family Socioeconomic Position and Eating Disorder Symptoms Across Adolescence
JAMA Network Open

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

About The Study: This cohort study using Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children data found that eating disorder symptoms were more common in individuals experiencing socioeconomic deprivation. Potential socioeconomic inequalities in eating disorder presentation and diagnosis in clinical settings require further investigation. Reducing population-level socioeconomic inequalities could also aid eating disorder prevention.

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.27934)

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conference: JAMA Network Open

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Organisation/s: University College London, UK

Funder: Ms Hahn is supported by a Mental Health Research UK PhD Scholarship. Dr Solmi has been supported by aWellcome Trust Sir HenryWellcome Fellowship (grant No. 209196/Z/17/Z) and aWellcome Trust Career Development Award (grant No. 225993/Z/22/Z) for the duration of this study. The UK Medical Research Council andWellcome (grant No. 217065/Z/19/Z) and the University of Bristol provide core support for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). A comprehensive list of grants funding is available on the ALSPAC website (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/external/documents/grant-acknowledgements.pdf). Disordered eating measures used in this study were funded by grant No. CS/01/2008/014 from the NIHR.

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