Prevalence of Eating Disorders and Weight Control Practices in Germany in 1990 and 1997 Joachim Westenhoefer Department of Nutrition and Home Economics, Fachhochschule Hamburg-University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany Accepted 14 March 2000 Abstract: Objective: To investigate whether the prevalence of bulimic behaviors and weight control practices changed between 1990 and 1997. Method: In November 1997, we sur- veyed a representative sample of 2,130 adult subjects in West Germany and 2,155 subjects in East Germany. We asked subjects about binge eating, vomiting, use of laxatives, appetite suppressants and diuretics, and about dieting, weighing, and exercise. As the same ques- tions had been used in a representative survey (N = 1,773) in autumn 1990 in West Ger- many, trend comparisons for prevalence between 1990 and 1997 are possible. Results: The prevalence of severe eating binges twice a week dropped nonsignificantly between 1997 and 1990 from 3.1% to 2.4% in men and from 2.3% to 1.3% in women. In men, the prevalence of binge eating disorder dropped nonsignificantly from 2.4% to 1.5%, the prevalence of bulimia nervosa from 2.1% to 1.1%. In women, the prevalence of binge eating disorder dropped nonsignificantly from 1.5% to 0.7% and that of bulimia nervosa from 2.4% to 1.1%. Conclusion: The prevalence of bulimic behaviors decreased slightly during 1990 and 1997 in the West German population. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 29: 477–481, 2001. Key words: bulimia nervosa; binge eating disorder; dieting INTRODUCTION A number of epidemiologic studies have assessed the prevalence of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder in community or representative population samples. In a re- view, Hsu (1996) concluded that the incidence of bulimia nervosa has increased in recent years. Moreover, the media often speculate that the prevalence of eating disorders is still increasing. However, there are few, if any, studies that compare the prevalence or inci- dence of eating disorders over time. One study by Heatherton, Nichols, Mahamedi, and Keel (1995) compared the prevalence of dieting, subclinical eating disorders, and eating disorders in college samples in 1982 and 1992. They identified eating disorders according Correspondence to: Dr. Joachim Westenhoefer, Department of Nutrition and Home Economics, Fachhoch- schule Hamburg-University of Applied Sciences, Lohbruegger Kirchstr. 65, 21033 Hamburg, Germany. E-mail: joachim@westenhoefer.de © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.