Weight Concerns and Disordered Eating Common in 13-Year-Olds

Peak onset of eating disorders is between ages 15 and 19 years, but younger teens also display eating disorder symptoms. Investigators in England examined eating disorder symptoms during early adolescence in 7082 adolescents (50% girls; 96% white) enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Height and weight were measured at ages 13 and 15 years. Parents completed a semi-structured interview designed to identify psychiatric disorders, including eating disorder behaviors and cognitions, and their effect on family and adolescent functioning.

By parental report, 12% of girls and 5% of boys at age 13 years were “terrified” about gaining weight or getting fat, and 5% of girls and 2% of boys were “upset or distressed a lot” ab…