EATING DISORDERS IN FEMALES - A REPRESENT ATIVE SURVEY

The authors examined the prevalence rates of binge-eating behavior, bi nge-eating disorder (BED), and bulimia nervosa in a female representat ive random sample in Tyrol. The data were collected ba telephone. Of t he 1 000 women, 3 (0.3 %) met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for anore xia nervosa, 15 (1.5 %) for bulimia nervosa, and 33 (3.3 %) for binge- eating disorder. While bulimics were young and found in all weight gro ups, women with BED were mostly overweight or obese and found in all a ge groups. The findings show that restrained eating, dieting, and/or e xcessive exercise are risk factors for developing eating disorders.