Eating disorder hospitalizations among boys increased 416 per cent over 17 years: Canadian study

Study that’s done in Ontario showing eating disorder hospitalizations among boys teenage boys soaring over the last two decades surprising increases in younger children as well let’s go back to ctv’s Tony Grace he’s covering this in our national Newsroom in Toronto so Tony walk us through the takeaways here

Some of these numbers very disturbing they are and they are very revealing Todd for the medical community as well because this is kind of the first detailed snapshot we’ve had in nearly a generation about hospitalizing ations of young people we’re talking people ages five right through 17 across Ontario

Over a 17-year period so let’s jump right into some of the numbers for you there was a 139% increase in the number of young people hospitalized from 2002 to 2019 ages 5 to 17 and when it comes to the number of boys males a 46% jump over that time period and the

Researchers are saying that some of the reasons for this include well improved detecting and diagnosing for one thing but also a reduced stigma perhaps kids feeling that they can speak with eating disorders about their parents or someone they trust or or even a doctor and and then the treatment flowing from there

But you know Todd this may be a vast underrepresentation because it only looked at hospitalizations in acute care settings it didn’t necessarily look at cases that may have never made it beyond for example uh a clinic or a family doctor so so they think this could actually be an

Underestimation and any sense as to why this is going on Tony uh you know a variety of factors but what they’re hoping it will lead to is a better road map for the future for example they just don’t have a lot of data right now and a

Lot of uh there’s a scarcity they called it of of of details on how to treat what they call under represented groups like boys boys groups that were disproportionately affected in the past and perhaps have different needs than others who’ve been treated for eating disorders you know there’s there’s also

A couple of common Eating Disorders we’ve heard of Todd anorexia and bulimia nervosa but but the authors of this study are saying actually there are a whole host of other Eating Disorders some of them that don’t even have names officially that they’re that are starting to come to light so all of this

In an effort to hopefully form a better plan for the future to help kids who need it and obviously the number is showing that there are a growing number of kids do need that help Todd Tony Grace in our Toronto National Newsroom thank you Tony thank you

Over the last 17 years, the number of eating disorders among boys has seen a shocking increase, ballooning to 400 per cent higher than the number seen in the early 2000s.

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