In a previous five-year follow-up study based on ED
classification according to DSM-IV (as well as some
broader categories) in a population-based sample of male
and female adolescents in the US [11], all male participants
and more than 80 % of female participants
remained symptomatic 5 years later, although diagnostic
classifications were unstable over time. In another longitudinal
study using data from the US National Longitudinal
Study of Adolescent Health, early dieting and body
image distortion at approximately age 16 predicted dieting
or weight loss behaviour at 18–26 years old [36]. In a
large Australian study, a DSM-IV eating disorder at age
14 significantly predicted a disorder at ages 17 and 20 in
females [15].