Anorexia nervosa in Chinese adolescents-does culture make a difference?
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Updated: Oct 10, 2026

A Computer-Based Platform for Aiding Clinicians in Eating Disorder Analysis and Diagnosis
Published on: May 10, 2022
1Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong.
Abstract:
The clinical and psychosocial characteristics of 16 Chinese adolescents from Hong Kong with anorexia nervosa are reported. In contrast to previous local reports of adult patients, over 80 per cent of these younger patients reported a fear of fatness. It appears that, against the background of increasing Westernization, the illness is taking on a Western pattern, in line with the suggestion that significant concern about weight in anorexia nervosa is a pathoplastic effect of Westernization. There was also a marked increase in the referral rate of patients in the younger age group, reflecting both an increase in the incidence and general awareness of the illness.
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