Over half of 15-to-17-year-olds have experience of eating disorders

Over half of Malta’s 15-to-17-year-olds have some experience of eating disorders, either personally or through a close friend or relative, according to a new study which stresses the need for more screening and education.
The majority of participants in the survey, aged between 15 and 50, had no exposure to eating disorders, either directly or through someone they knew, while 14 per cent said they did.
Among the 15-to-17-year olds however, 57 per cent did have direct or indirect experience of eating disorders.
Titled Examining Public Perceptions and Experiences of Eating Disorders, the study, carried out in June 2022, was commissioned by Dar Kenn Għal Saħħtek, a residential day care and out-patient facility that supports people with eating disorders and weight behavioral problems. 
It examined knowledge of eating disorders among people aged between 15 and 50 to assess the need for information and services and to discover the prevalence of eating disorders.
The research team was made up of Andrew Azzopardi and Annabel Cuff from the Faculty for Social Well-being and Anton Grech and Darleen Zerafa from Dar Kenn Għal Saħħtek.

Data was collected by statistician Vincent Marmarà via a...