Vegetarianism and eating disorders: The subjective experience of healthcare professionals

Appetite. 2023 Nov 27:107136. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107136. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTVegetarianism is growing dramatically among adolescents and young adults. Professionals specialized in eating disorders (ED) may routinely face patients adhering to these popular vegetarian practices. This qualitative study aimed to investigate healthcare professionals' subjective experience of vegetarianism in ED patients. Interviews of practitioners specialized in ED, recruited from the French federation of anorexia and bulimia (FFAB), were conducted using a semi-structured guide. We reached data saturation. Thematic analysis was used to identify and analyze patterns of meaning in the dataset. Eighteen professionals (dieticians, physician-nutritionists, and a psychiatrist) with private or institutional practices were interviewed. Three meta-themes emerged from our thematic analysis: (1) a heterogeneous representation of vegetarianism among practitioners, (2) a diversified practice of dietetic care, (3) factors influencing professionals' nutritional strategies. This original qualitative and exploratory study reported vegetarianism is a fast-growing phenomenon observed in a majority of adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa, with various underlying motivations reported. In all cases, the nature of the timing and relation between the vegetarian practices and the ED should be carefully assessed, using specific tools. Because of the ethical dimension of this issue and the risk of pro...
Source: Appetite - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: research