Two in five feel they have no control over what they eat
Two in five people feel they do not have control over how much they eat and just under one in six has made themselves throw up “because they felt uncomfortably full”, according to a study on eating disorders in Malta.
The study paints a picture of a society generally aware of the symptoms of eating disorders and that they can be life threatening – but of people who do not necessarily recognise these signs in themselves or those close to them.
The study was carried out in January by statistician Vince Marmarà for the University of Malta’s Faculty for Social Wellbeing. Some 400 people between the ages of 15 and 50 took part in the survey, a sample representative of the population.
The vast majority, 93 per cent, had heard of the term ‘eating disorder’ with the most recognised disorders being anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating and obesity.
When asked if they knew anyone with an eating disorder, 14% of respondents said they did, while 73.4% did not. A small 2.9% said the person with the disorder was “myself or a close family member”. Five per cent said they suspected themselves or a close family member had an eating disorder.
However, when asked if they had experienced some of the...
