TAMPA, Fla. — New research shows a disorder typically associated with girls is impacting more boys. A study released from JAMA suggests eating disorder hospitalizations of young boys increased by more than 415% and by 196% in those ages 12 to 14.

Pediatricians in the Tampa Bay area, like Dr. Jasmine Reese with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, say they are seeing more boys battling the disorder.

“Eating disorders don’t discriminate. They can happen to all genders, all races, all ethnicities,” said Reese. “It doesn’t matter how much money you have, you can be affected by an eating disorder.”

She says the disorder can affect relationships with food, people, learning and concentration.

“Your whole focus kind of becomes about your body image and what you’re eating and that then leads to those dangerous restrictive behaviors, malnourishment,” explained Reese, whose team uses a multidisciplinary approach to treat patients.

Tyson McCardle, a young athlete, was diagnosed with an eating disorder at 12-years-old.

“Started last year around fall, I was just trying to work out, get into shape and after that I just sort of started dying,” said Tyson, who is now 13. “I was eating, but I wasn’t eating to the point that I should have been at all.”

Tyson’s mother, Megan McCardle, says he got down to 85 pounds and was malnourished.

“He didn’t want to get over the 100 pound mark, for some reason that was some sort of trigger, but he was 5 foot 3 and an athlete and he should have been,” said McCardle.

Several concerns developed due to Tyson’s condition.

“He started obsessively watching food videos on TikTok, then all of the sudden he wanted to eat things with protein only, wanted things healthy and I think in his mind he had decided we were trying to fatten him up,” said McCardle. 

Doctors recommended the teen enter a rehabilitation center for eating disorders.

“I got super duper skinny, like way beyond where I should’ve got,” said Tyson.

“We realized he was focusing on his appearance, but we didn’t realize it was taking control,” said McCardle, who points out the difficulty in finding advanced treatment for a boy battling the condition typically associated with girls.


Now, home after in-patient care, Tyson still consults with nutritionists and mental health providers as part of continued treatment.

“I don’t feel starving all the time, I just feel normal,” said Tyson.

McCardle is proud of the progress.

“He’s probably 90-to-95% back to normal, but we still can’t let our guard down,” said McCardle. “I want him back being active, healthy and to just be a normal kid.”

“It just feels sort of free,” said Tyson.

A sense of freedom, as this family fights to change the stigma of a condition impacting more young boys.

Reese says symptoms to watch out for include:

• Restrictive behaviors
• Change in eating habits
• Isolation
• Drastic change in weight

Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.

Additional resources can be found on the National Alliance for Eating Disorders' website.