Are college students diagnosed with an eating disorder more or less likely to report substance abuse than their peers?
414,299 students’ responses to the National College Health Assessment (conducted by the American College Health Association) between 2015 and 2019 were examined. Students with an eating disorder (ED) were significantly more likely to report substance use disorder (aOR: 7.43; 95% CI: 6.98, 7.92; p < .0001), opiate misuse (aOR: 8.35; 95% CI: 7.38, 9.45; p < .0001), and misuse of club drugs (aOR: 10.37; 95% CI: 9.10, 11.81; p < .0001) than peers without reported EDs.
Qeadan F, English K, Luke A, Egbert J. Eating disorders and substance use: Examining associations among US college students. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2023 May;56(5):956-68.
Contributed by: Kristine Nanagas, MD