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- Title
Ethnic origins of patients attending specialist eating disorders services in a multiethnic urban catchment area in the United Kingdom.
- Authors
Waller, Glenn; Schmidt, Ulrike; Treasure, Janet; Emanuelli, Francesca; Alenya, Joana; Crockett, Jo; Murray, Katie
- Abstract
Objective This study considered the impact of ethnicity on the referral process for patients with eating disorders, at the levels of referral rate, diagnosis, and treatment offered. Method A catchment area cohort of 648 patients was referred and assessed at specialist eating disorders services in a multiethnic urban area (all boroughs in South London, UK). Each patient was diagnosed and offered treatment (or an alternative appropriate end-point to the referral), and self-identified their ethnicity. For comparison purposes, the local ethnic minority population was taken from census data. Results Ethnic minority patients were substantially less likely to be referred to the services than white patients, relative to the local population. The ethnic minority group were more likely to suffer from bulimia nervosa, and less likely to be found to have no eating disorder. However, the treatments offered did not differ substantially across the ethnic groups. Discussion Referrals to specialist eating disorder services do not reflect local populations' ethnic composition, though this disparity seems to be less by the time that the patient is offered treatment. It will be important to determine the source of these ethnic differences, and to take steps to reduce them. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord, 2009
- Subjects
ETHNICITY; MULTICULTURALISM; PATHOLOGICAL psychology; APPETITE disorders; POPULATION
- Publication
International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2009, Vol 42, Issue 5, p459
- ISSN
0276-3478
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/eat.20631