• Findings from a Victorian Adolescent study revealed 8.8% of female adolescents had an eating disorder. Close to 50% of those had high levels of depression and anxiety, especially those with bulimia.
• Eating disorders occur in both males and females before puberty, with the ratio of males to females approximately 1:10 during adolescence and increasing to 1:20 during young adulthood.
• The incidence of eating disorders in the athletic population, including ballet, is 20% or greater than in the average population.
• Research suggests that males are becoming increasingly concerned about the size, shape and overall appearance of their bodies. One in three young males want their body to be heavier and one in three want their body to be lighter. 26-30% of boys want to be thinner. However prevailing cultural values encourage many boys to desire increased size and muscle mass.
• 42% of young women from different cultural backgrounds (European and Asian), who are already underweight, want to weigh even less.
• 50% of primary school children wanted to weigh less according to a survey of pre-adolescent Sydney children. 25% of seven to ten year olds have dieted to lose weight.
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