Prevalence and Incidence of Anorectic and Bulimic Eating Disorders

Epidemiology deals with the distribution of diseases in space and time and with factors that influence this distribution. In the following, some important terms of epidemiology are defined and explained. Epidemiology is often interested in the frequency and distribution of specific diseases in complete populations (e.g., all people aged 15 – 25 years). However, since complete surveys in large populations are very complex, a (or several) sample(s) is often drawn, which is supposed to be representative of the underlying population. If the sample is representative, the determined results can be generalized to the population. If we want to capture a specific disease in a representative population sample, it is necessary that the disease is sufficiently clearly defined and that measurement instruments are available that can reliably and validly capture this disease. In the case of a slightly underweight anorexic person who also denies the illness upon questioning, case identification can become difficult.