Hi,
The latest WellnessPulse study reveals countries where eating disorders are significantly more prevalent in females than males.
The report measures this disparity using the eating disorder prevalence female-to-male ratio (ED F:M).
For example, Ecuador and Spain have the largest sex gap in eating disorders globally, both with an ED F:M ratio of 5.
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In Ecuador, 0.1% of males are diagnosed with an eating disorder, compared to 0.5% of females.
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In Spain, 0.2% of males are diagnosed with conditions like bulimia or anorexia versus 1% of females — also resulting in a ratio of 5.
Key findings
The analysis reveals that European and Latin American countries have the highest sex gaps in ED prevalence. These include:
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Ecuador, Spain, Italy, Bolivia, France, Croatia, Cyprus, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hungary, Nicaragua, Portugal, Austria, Finland, and Sweden.
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Two Caribbean nations (Cuba and Jamaica) and Morocco (in North Africa) also rank among the highest.
The study also examines the link between eating disorders and other mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression.
Comorbidities with eating disorders
Research indicates that individuals with EDs often experience comorbidities — co-occurring disorders.
The WellnessPulse analysis focused on two common examples: anxiety disorders (AD) and depressive disorders (DD).
Among the top 18 countries with the highest ED F:M ratios:
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Five (Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, and Hungary) also rank in the top 20 for female-to-male anxiety disorder prevalence ratio.
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Five others (Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, and Italy) have some of the highest F:M ratios for depression prevalence.
Explore the full study
For deeper insights — including why this sex gap exists and the correlations between eating disorders, anxiety, and depression — read the complete study here:
https://wellnesspulse.com/research/men-women-eating-disorders-analysis/
If you have questions for our research team or would like exclusive commentary, feel free to reply to this email.
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Kind regards,
Edvardas Garbenis
PR Manager
WellnessPulse.com
