Neighborhood Disadvantage and Comorbid Mental Health Conditions in Adolescents and Young Adults With Eating Disorders
6 affiliations
- 1Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati Ohio USA
- 2Department of Pediatrics University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati Ohio USA
- 3Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati Ohio USA
- 4Department of Information Services Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati Ohio USA
- 5Division of General and Community Pediatrics Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati Ohio USA
- 6Division of Hospital Medicine Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati Ohio USA
Abstract
Objective: Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent among adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. A comorbid mental health condition is associated with worsened long‐term eating disorder outcomes. While individual risk factors for comorbid anxiety or depression and eating disorders have been elucidated, the impact of external factors, such as neighborhood disadvantage, remains understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between levels of neighborhood disadvantage and comorbid anxiety and depression.
Method: This was a retrospective study utilizing data available from Epic Cosmos, an electronic health record data platform. Individuals aged 9–25 years with an eating disorder diagnosis and a healthcare encounter within the last year were included. The exposure variable of neighborhood disadvantage was measured by the Area Deprivation Index percentile ranks. Outcomes included ICD‐10 diagnoses of anxiety or depression. Logistic regression models were used to assess associations between area deprivation and mental health conditions.
Results: Inclusion criteria were met in 100,924 individuals. The median age was 17 years, and the majority were female, White, and non‐Hispanic. Anxiety was present in 71.2% of the cohort and depression was present in 52.5%. Higher levels of neighborhood disadvantage were associated with increased odds of anxiety and depression. Disparities based on sociodemographic characteristics were also observed.
Discussion: More neighborhood disadvantage is associated with increased odds of anxiety and depression among adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. These findings highlight the importance of understanding neighborhood context in eating disorder presentations.
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BibTeX
@article{chaphekar2026neighborhood,
title = {{Neighborhood Disadvantage and Comorbid Mental Health Conditions in Adolescents and Young Adults With Eating Disorders}},
author = {Anita V. Chaphekar and Qing Duan and Janet Zahner and Andrew F. Beck},
journal = {The International Journal of Eating Disorders},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1002/eat.70168},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70168},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Neighborhood Disadvantage and Comorbid Mental Health Conditions in Adolescents and Young Adults With Eating Disorders
AU - Anita V. Chaphekar
AU - Qing Duan
AU - Janet Zahner
AU - Andrew F. Beck
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/03
JO - The International Journal of Eating Disorders
DO - 10.1002/eat.70168
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70168
AB - Objective: Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent among adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. A comorbid mental health condition is associated with worsened long‐term eating disorder outcomes. While individual risk factors for comorbid anxiety or depression and eating disorders have been elucidated, the impact of external factors, such as neighborhood disadvantage, remains understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between levels of neighborhood disadvantage and comorbid anxiety and depression. Method: This was a retrospective study utilizing data available from Epic Cosmos, an electronic health record data platform. Individuals aged 9–25 years with an eating disorder diagnosis and a healthcare encounter within the last year were included. The exposure variable of neighborhood disadvantage was measured by the Area Deprivation Index percentile ranks. Outcomes included ICD‐10 diagnoses of anxiety or depression. Logistic regression models were used to assess associations between area deprivation and mental health conditions. Results: Inclusion criteria were met in 100,924 individuals. The median age was 17 years, and the majority were female, White, and non‐Hispanic. Anxiety was present in 71.2% of the cohort and depression was present in 52.5%. Higher levels of neighborhood disadvantage were associated with increased odds of anxiety and depression. Disparities based on sociodemographic characteristics were also observed. Discussion: More neighborhood disadvantage is associated with increased odds of anxiety and depression among adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. These findings highlight the importance of understanding neighborhood context in eating disorder presentations.
SN - 0276-3478
SN - 1098-108X
ER -