NHS England recently conducted a survey on the mental health of young people, revealing intriguing statistics regarding their eating habits.
The survey, carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), and the universities of Cambridge and Exeter, collected data from February to April of this year. It encompassed 2,370 children and young people aged eight to 25 years old in England.
The results of the Survey
More than 1 in 10 (12.5%) 17–19-year-olds in England who participated in this year’s major survey have an eating disorder, a sharp rise from 0.8% in 2017. Among women in this age group, rates have surged from 1.6 percent to 20.8 percent, while among men of the same age, rates have risen from 0.0 percent to 5.1 percent.
This year’s survey also indicates that eating disorders impact 5.9 percent of 20 to 25-year-olds and 2.6 percent of 11 to 16-year-olds, typically during secondary school years. The latter figure has risen from 0.5 percent in 2017, and this year’s rates are four times higher in girls
