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Exploring Health Professionals’ Knowledge and Attitudes on Eating Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2025

E. Barone ,
L. Marone ,
V. Ruzzi  and
A. M. Monteleone
E. Barone*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
L. Marone
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
V. Ruzzi
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
A. M. Monteleone
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Non-mental health professionals play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of Eating Disorders (EDs).

Objectives

This study aimed to explore attitudes toward EDs and knowledge of diagnosis, aethiology, and management of EDs among health professionals.

Methods

A new questionnaire was validated and administered to residents and consultants working in disciplines involved in the management of EDs. Health professionals were grouped in the following areas: internal medicine, general practitioners, psychiatric area, psychological area, and surgical area. One-way ANCOVA and chi-square tests were employed to compare knowledge and attitudes among the study groups.

Results

For all health professionals, the most deficient area was the aetiopathogenesis, while the best one was the management of physical complications. A gap in the knowledge of diagnosis, aetiopathogenesis and treatment emerged in nonmental health professionals. Psychotherapy effectiveness and the role of family members in the therapeutic process were not sufficiently acknowledged, and general psychological factors contributing to the onset of EDs were not recognized. Stigma was found primarily among surgeons, although all nonmental health professionals often considered those patients responsible for their ED.

Conclusions

Inadequate knowledge and impaired attitudes toward EDs occurr among health professionals. This type of stigma may impair early diagnosis and treatment of EDs. Educational programs should provide continuous education to update and improve the knowledge of EDs among non-mental health professionals.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Information

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 68 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 33rd European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2025 , pp. S682
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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