Beyond the Binary: Differences in Eating Disorder Prevalence by Gender Identity in a Transgender Sample

Abstract

<b>Purpose:</b> To investigate whether the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) differs across diverse gender identity groups in a transgender sample. <b>Methods:</b> Secondary analysis of data from Project VOICE, a cross-sectional study of stress and health among 452 transgender adults (ages 18-75 years) residing in Massachusetts. Age-adjusted logistic regression models were fit to compare the prevalence of self-reported lifetime EDs in female-to-male (FTM), male-to-female (MTF), and gender-nonconforming participants assigned male at birth (MBGNC) to gender-nonconforming participants assigned female at birth (FBGNC; referent). <b>Results:</b> The age-adjusted odds of self-reported ED in MTF participants were 0.14 times the odds of self-reported ED in FBGNC participants (<i>p</i>=0.022). In FTM participants, the age-adjusted odds of self-reported ED were 0.46 times the odds of self-reported ED in FBGNC participants, a marginally significant finding (<i>p</i>=0.068). No statistically significant differences in ED prevalence were found for MBGNC individuals. <b>Conclusions:</b> Gender nonconforming individuals assigned a female sex at birth appear to have heightened lifetime risk of EDs relative to MTF participants. Further research into specific biologic and psychosocial ED risk factors and gender-responsive intervention strategies are urgently needed. Training clinical providers and ensuring competency of treatment services beyond the gender binary will be vital to addressing this disparity.