Eating Disorder Risk and Diagnosis Among East Asian Youth in the United States: Findings From the Healthy Minds...

To estimate the prevalence of probable eating disorders and self-reported eating disorder diagnoses among East Asian young adults aged 18-25 years across US colleges.

Using data from the 2020 to 2023 Healthy Minds Study, a repeated cross-sectional survey of US college students, we analyzed data from East Asian and White participants aged 18-25 years (N = 160,740). Eating disorder risk was assessed using the SCOFF questionnaire and eating disorder diagnoses were self-reported. Using multivariable logistic models, we generated odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) to estimate inequities in the prevalence of a probable eating disorder and eating disorder diagnoses between East Asian and White young adults, adjusting for gender identity, age, international student status, sexual orientation, financial stress, and study year.

We found no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of a probable eating disorder among East Asian young adults compared to White young adults (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.97-1.11) after adjustment. Among those with a probable eating disorder (n = 68,651), East Asian young adults had nearly half the odds (OR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.47-0.65) of having a self-reported diagnosed eating disorder compared to White young adults.

While the prevalence of having a probable eating disorder was similar among East Asian and White young adults, East Asians had almost half the odds of self-reporting an eating disorder diagnosis compared to White young adults. Future research is warranted to better understand barriers to eating disorder diagnosis among East Asian young adults in the US.