It’s time we act to prevent eating disorders

Eating disorders affect everyone. I want to make that clear right off the bat.

There is an ongoing misconception that eating disorders, which include anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder only occur in women. While women make up the majority of diagnoses in the country, the National Eating Disorders Association reports that about 1 in 3 people struggling with an eating disorder is male. It is because of this gendered stereotype that many teenage boys and men with eating disorders are misdiagnosed in health settings and end up not receiving the proper care needed to recover.

But, do eating disorders really pose a significant problem in the United States?

The answer is a definite yes.

In a groundbreaking report published this month, researchers at the Strategic Training Research Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED), the Academy for Eating Disorders, and Deloitte Access Economics estimated the social and economic burden of eating disorders in the United States.

They report that nearly 29 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime and that 10,200 deaths per year are a direct result of an eating disorder — that’s one death every 52 minutes.

The burden on our hospital systems is also alarming. Nearly 54,000 visits to the emergency room are attributed to eating disorders, costing an estimated $29.3 million.

And the economic cost on eating disorders? Get ready for it — a whopping $64.7 billion.

Eating disorders result in an estimated productivity loss of $48.6 billion due to absenteeism or impaired work performance.

In my past conversations with state and federal lawmakers, I often share the latest research findings that describe the risk factors of eating disorders, and how they are among the deadliest psychiatric conditions. I believe lawmakers appreciate such information, but they also want to know the economic costs of these deadly disorders.

Now they have it.

Our lawmakers need to follow the results of this report with action.

As a Connecticut-based researcher who studies body image and risk factors for eating disorders among men, I believe there several action steps our lawmakers must take.

First, we need to improve our health surveillance of eating disorders and their risk factors across the country. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally monitors the health of the American population, collecting information on various health conditions and behaviors. However, the CDC removed questions on eating disorders from its Youth Risk Behavior

Surveillance System in 2015. This was a step in the wrong direction. To address regional and national trends of eating disorders, we need an accurate and representative method of collecting this valuable data. The CDC can help us do that.

People with eating disorders need to have access to effective and affordable treatment. Ensuring that health insurance policies cover comprehensive treatment for eating disorders will break down existing barriers to accessing the right care. Last year, lawmakers from both major political parties introduced the Nutrition CARE Act, which would ensure that Medicare covers medical nutrition therapy for those with eating disorders. Supporting such legislation would have a monumental impact.

Lastly, there needs to be increased funding to support researchers in their pursuit to study eating disorders and develop evidence-based strategies to prevent and treat them. The National Institutes of Health, our country’s leading medical research agency, has the capacity to make eating disorders a research priority and create increased funding opportunities to support these efforts.

It’s time that we address the national burden of eating disorders.