Prevalence and Correlates of Caregiver-Reported Disordered Eating Behaviors and Concerns Among US Children and...

Disordered eating behaviors are increasingly recognized among children and adolescents in the US, making it critical to understand their prevalence and associated risk factors to support early identification and intervention. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of caregiver-reported disordered eating behaviors and concerns among US children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years.

We analyzed data from the 2022 National Survey of Children's Health (n = 34,362), estimating age- and sex-stratified prevalence of past-year child's concerns about body weight, shape, or size; disordered eating behaviors; and caregiver concerns about those behaviors. We conducted bivariate analyses identifying sociodemographic, economic, health-related, and caregiver/family-related correlates.

The most prevalent behaviors were extremely picky eating (24.5% among children aged 6-11 y; 19.3% among adolescents aged 12-17 y), low interest in food (11.1% and 10.6%, respectively), and skipping meals/fasting (6.8% and 13.4%, respectively). About one-quarter of caregivers were "very much" or "somewhat" concerned about their child's behaviors. Several factors were associated with disordered eating behaviors/concerns, including food insufficiency; mental/emotional/behavioral conditions; frequent bullying; high levels of screentime; worse caregiver mental/emotional health; and adverse childhood experiences.

Based on caregiver reports, nearly one-third of children and adolescents in our study population engaged in at least 1 form of disordered eating in the past year. Caregivers may be well-positioned to observe and report early behavior changes, potentially enabling earlier clinical assessment and intervention and improved prognosis.