Bernou Melisse

1 Background Although there are strong indications that eating disorders (EDs) are prevalent in Southern Africa (Qian et al. 2021), EDs research remains limited (van Hoeken et al. 2016). There is a large knowledge gap regarding the prevalence estimates of ED in this region (Philip et al. 2023). The present Research Forum directly addresses this gap by synthesizing available literature focused on ED prevalences in Southern Africa.

Comorbid psychopathology was associated with a slower treatment response but not with relapses. At follow-up, all patients with binge-eating disorder benefited equally well from guided self-help cognitive behavior therapy-enhanced. Dropout was higher among males and lower-educated patients. 1 Introduction Binge-eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder and is associated with significant psychosocial impairment (Keski-Rahkonen and Mustelin 2016).

In the GCC, based on the PARDI-AR-Q diagnostic prediction, it is suggested that 23.4% of individuals aged ≥ 14 exhibited ARFID symptoms. Based on the NIAS, sensory-based food avoidance was the most reported symptom, with 29.4% of children (4–13 years) and 12.8% of adolescents/adults (≥ 14 years) exhibiting ARFID symptoms. Among participants aged ≥ 14 years, having other eating disorder psychopathology, being female, and of younger age were factors associated with ARFID psychopathology.