Emerging evidence signifies the co-occurrence of
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (
ADHD) with clinical and sub-threshold disordered eating behaviors. However, many existing studies have assessed this co-occurrence among inpatient or intensive outpatient populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the co-occurrence of
ADHD with clinical
eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors in a nationally representative sample via a secondary data analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 4,862; 2,243 males; 2,619 females). Results reveal that females have higher rates of co-occurrence of
ADHD and diagnosed
eating disorders than males (1.05% vs. 0.20%, p < .01). When controlling for age and race,
ADHD predicted diagnosed
eating disorders in females (incidence rate ratio (
IRR): 2.06; 95% CI: 1.09-3.88; p < .05), but did not predict diagnosed
eating disorders in males. With regard to disordered eating behaviors, when controlling for age, gender, and race,
ADHD significantly predicted disordered eating behaviors (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.21-2.74). When stratifying by type of disordered eating behavior,
ADHD predicted binging and/or purging behavior (OR: 2.86; 95% CI: 1.78-4.61), but not restrictive behaviors. Implications of study findings pertain to both secondary/targeted prevention efforts in addition to
tertiary prevention via patient-specific treatment plans.