Prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia in three student populations

A confidential questionnaire, covering the DSM-III criteria for anorexia nervosa and bulimia, was administered to three samples of students, totalling 1060 individuals, at two colleges and a secondary school. Although none of the male respondents met DSM-III criteria for either disorder, 1.0% to 4.2% of women met DSM-III criteria for a history of anorexia nervosa (with or without a history of bulimia), and an additional 6.5% to 18.6% met DSM-III criteria for a history of bulimia alone. Even when allowance is made for the number of nonrespondents, possible falsepositive questionnaire responses, and the limitations of the DSM-III criteria themselves, the prevalence rates appear substantial. Taking into account the mean ages of various samples, our results agree closely with two previous studies that each examined a single sample of students. These results augment the growing evidence that the eating disorders represent a serious public health problem.