Greater social adversity is associated with more disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among children from Southeast Michigan

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the association between indicators of social adversity, including socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity, and children's disordered eating behaviors and attitudes. Methods: Children ages 8–10 years old (n = 183) were recruited from Michigan. Data were collected through in-home surveys. The Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT-24) measured disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in the sample. Cumulative social adversity was considered the sum of four binary variables: caregiver race/ethnicity, caregiver education, household income, and child-reported food security status. Linear mixed models examined the association between social adversity indicators and ChEAT-24 scores. Results: Children of primary caregivers of color had significantly higher ChEAT-24 scores than children of white caregivers (p =.03). Children who reported food insecurity had significantly higher ChEAT-24 scores compared to children who reported food security (p =.01). Compared to children with the lowest social adversity score, children with the highest score had a 4.8-unit higher ChEAT-24 score (95% CI.3–9.4), after adjusting for covariates. A significant trend was observed for greater social adversity and higher ChEAT-24 score (p-trend =.02). Conclusion: A linear association was observed between greater social adversity and more disordered eating behaviors and attitudes among children in this sample. These findings emphasize the need for eating disorder research in children from racial/ethnic minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations to support future prevention efforts. Public Significance: Greater exposure to social adversity was associated with more disordered eating behaviors among preadolescent children. Given that eating disorders are understudied in lower-income and minority racial/ethnic populations, this study highlights the need for additional research to better support prevention and treatment efforts among children from socioeconomically diverse backgrounds.