Disparities in access to eating disorders treatment for publicly-insured youth and youth of color: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Plain English Summary Early management of eating disorders, including mental health and medical treatment, improves outcomes and reduces the likelihood of significant complications including death. However, access to specialized mental health treatment can be challenging, particularly for patients from marginalized identities. This study examined how insurance type affects access to recommended mental health treatment for patients with eating disorders. It included a sample of 1060 youth of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds who presented to an adolescent medicine clinic with malnutrition secondary to disordered eating. In our sample, youth with public insurance were one third as likely to receive appropriate treatment as youth with private insurance. Additionally, Latinx and Asian patients were half as likely to receive appropriate treatment as White youth. These findings highlight the importance of not only improving access to mental health care for patients with eating disorders, but also addressing the systemic causes of disparities in care for youth of color and those with public insurance.

Keywords

• Family-based treatment (FBT)
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Anorexia nervosa (AN)
• Atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN)
• Bulimia nervosa (BN)
• Binge eating disorder (BED)