Eating disorder hospitalizations among children and youth in Canada from 2010 to 2022: a population-based surveillance study using administrative data

This study examined rates of ED hospitalizations among children and youth in Canada from 2010 to 2022, by sex, age, province/territory, length of stay, discharge disposition and ED diagnosis.MethodsCases of ED hospitalizations among children and youth, ages 5 to 17  years, were identified using available ICD-10 codes in the Discharge Abstract Database from the 2010/11 to 2022/23 fiscal years. The EDs examined in this study were anorexia nervosa (F50.0), atypical anorexia nervosa (F50.1), bulimia nervosa (F50.2), other EDs (F50.3, F50.8) and unspecified EDs (F 50.9). Both cases of total and first-time ED hospitalizations were examined. Descriptive statistics and trend analyses were performed.ResultsBetween 2010/11 and 2022/23, 18,740 children and youth were hospitalized for an ED, 65.9% of which were first-time hospitalizations. The most frequent diagnosis was anorexia nervosa (51.3%). Females had significantly higher rates of ED hospitalization compared to males (66.7/100,000 vs. 5.9/100,000). Youth had significantly higher rates compared to children. The average age of ED hospitalization was 14.7  years. Rates of ED hospitalizations were relatively stable pre-pandemic, however during the pandemic (2020–2021), rates increased.InterpretationRates of pediatric ED hospitalizations in Canada increased significantly during the pandemic, suggesting that there may have been limited access to alternative care for EDs or that ED cases became more severe and required hospitalizatio...
Source: Journal of Eating Disorders - Category: Eating Disorders & Weight Management Source Type: research