Shifting age of child eating disorder hospitalizations during the Covid‐19 pandemic

Bibliographic Data

ID21344152
AuthorsNathalie Auger (0000-0002-2412-0459, University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre Montreal QC Canada, corresponding author), Howard Steiger (0000-0003-4887-7824, Department of Psychiatry McGill University Montreal QC Canada), Thuy Mai Luu (0000-0003-2222-186X, Department of Pediatrics, Sainte‐Justine Hospital Montreal QC Canada), Nicholas Chadi (0000-0003-1033-2327, Department of Pediatrics, Sainte‐Justine Hospital Montreal QC Canada), Nancy Low (0000-0002-8442-8260, Department of Psychiatry McGill University Montreal QC Canada), Marianne Bilodeau‐Bertrand (0000-0002-9072-8796, University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre Montreal QC Canada), Jessica Healy‐Profitós (University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre Montreal QC Canada), Aimina Ayoub (0000-0002-0798-8387, University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre Montreal QC Canada), Émilie Brousseau (0009-0001-2455-7845, University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre Montreal QC Canada), Mimi Israël (0000-0003-0962-3514, Department of Psychiatry McGill University Montreal QC Canada)
Year2023
Volume64
Issue8
Pages1176-1184
Publication date2023-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9630 • E-ISSN: 1469-7610
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jcpp.13800
PMID37012056
OpenAlexW4362523743
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited27

BACKGROUND: We studied the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on child eating disorder hospitalizations in Quebec, Canada. Quebec had one of the strictest lockdown measures targeting young people in North America. METHODS: We analyzed eating disorder hospitalizations in children aged 10-19 years before and during the pandemic. We used interrupted time series regression to assess trends in the monthly number of hospitalizations for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and other eating disorders before the pandemic (April 2006 to February 2020), and during the first (March to August 2020) and second waves (September 2020 to March 2021). We determined the types of eating disorders requiring hospital treatment and identified the age, sex and socioeconomic subgroups that were most affected. RESULTS: Hospitalization rates for eating disorders increased during the first (6.5 per 10,000) and second waves (12.8 per 10,000) compared with the period before the pandemic (5.8 per 10,000). The increase occurred for anorexia nervosa as well as other types of eating disorders. The number of girls and boys aged 10-14 years admitted for eating disorders increased during wave 1. Wave 2 triggered an increase in eating disorder admissions among girls aged 15-19 years. Hospitalization rates increased earlier for advantaged than disadvantaged youth. CONCLUSIONS: The Covid-19 pandemic affected hospitalizations for anorexia nervosa as well as other eating disorders, beginning with girls aged 10-14 years during wave 1, followed by girls aged 15-19 years during wave 2. Boys aged 10-14 years were also affected, as well as both advantaged and disadvantaged youth

Anorexia nervosa · Bulimia nervosa · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Eating disorders · Pandemic · Psychiatry · Young adult · Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Demography · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Psychology · Gerontology · Pediatrics

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