Despite research finding a higher prevalence of eating disorders among Aboriginal youth in Australia there is a lack of culturally specific screening tools to support this population.
Recent research found 28.6% of Aboriginal youth were affected by eating disorders, compared with 21.7% of non-Aboriginal Australian youths, with nighttime binge eating being the most common occurrence.
Lead researcher and accredited practicing dietitian Dr Kanita Kunaratnam from ECU noted that eating disorders were associated with psychosocial components, such as racism, trauma and food insecurity, citing experience from her own clinical work.
“Binge eating tends to be the most common eating disorder among Indigenous Australian youth, because many have grown up in food insecure households,” she said.
“While their financial circumstances may change, untreated eating disorders often persist into adulthood, particularly when underlying factors like trauma and food insecurity are not addressed.”
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Dr Kunaratnam said eating disorders in general were not well understood within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
“There is often a perception that people living in larger bodies are judged as overeating, without understanding that an eating disorder or other health issues might be underlying,” she said.
While it is understood that cultural and societal factors have a significant influence on the presentation and management of eating disorders, the research found there were no screening tools or early response programs that have been specifically developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
Dr Kunaratnam said the current prevalence of eating disorders within the Indigenous community was also likely underestimated.
“Without culturally specific approaches to screening, many young people may be missed entirely in both clinical and community settings,” she said.
She suggested the lack of screening tools and response programs could mean that eating disorders are potentially missed by clinicians treating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.
The cultural context in which screening tools and early response programs are administered are of critical importance to their success and prevention programs would not be successful if they were tokenistic, Dr Kunaratnam said.
“These tools have to be built from the ground up. It must include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, their voices and their lived experience, to ensure these programs are effective and sustainable long term.”
Dr Kunaratnam will be piloting the development of a culturally specific screening tool for First Nations peoples.
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