UCL review reveals eating disorder symptoms are more prevalent among lower-income adolescents

A comprehensive review by University College London challenges stereotypes by showing that young people from lower-income families are at higher risk of eating disorder symptoms, prompting calls for broader screening approaches.

A University College London review has found that eating disorder symptoms are not confined to teenagers from affluent families, and may in fact be more common among young people from lower-income households. The analysis pooled 51 studies covering 26,174 adolescents and found the clearest link with family income, while parental education also appeared to matter. Researchers said the findings challenge long-standing assumptions about who is most at risk.

According to the study, around two-thirds of the research it reviewed reported higher rates of disordered eating among adolescents from lower-income backgrounds. Teenagers whose parents had not attended university were also about 25% more likely to report symptoms. The work was published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders and has been highlighted by University College London as evidence that screening should not be shaped by stereotypes about class.

Nora Trompeter of University College London said: “Eating disorders don’t discriminate by income or education. If anything, the evidence points the other way.” She argued that failing to look for symptoms in disadvantaged adolescents can delay diagnosis and treatment. Previous research has also pointed in the same direction, including studies in adolescent girls and large cohort analyses linking lower socioeconomic position with later eating disorder symptoms.

The authors also urged caution in interpreting the results too broadly. Most of the studies involved White adolescents in Western countries, and the different ways researchers measured eating disorder symptoms made firm conclusions harder. Even so, the review adds weight to calls for schools, parents and healthcare professionals to widen their net when identifying young people who may need help.