Do primary care providers screen for eating disorders?

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors Among High-school Girls in Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia

Objectives::

To determine the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among high-school girls in Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia.

Methods::

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Al-Madinah city in 2014-15. A multi- stage random sampling technique was adopted to include female students of government secondary schools. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and socio-economical questionnaires were used in the study for assessing the prevalence of disordered eating. All data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results::

Overweight and obesity were reported among 11.2% and 5.6% of them, respectively, whereas 31.3% of the participants were underweight. The overall prevalence of disordered eating attitudes among female students was 42.5%. This rate was significantly higher among younger (≤16 years old) and those of the first scholastic level than others. The rate of disordered eating attitude was reported at a higher rate among obese students (59.1%) than underweight (41.5%) and normal students (42.4%). The commonest reported disordered eating behavior was self-reported binge eating behaviour (25.2%), followed by self-induced vomiting (8.7%) and the use of laxatives/ diuretics to control weight (6.1%).

Conclusion::

The findings show a high prevalence of disordered eating attitude among high school female students in Al-Madinah city. Younger girls and those of the first scholastic level showed higher disordered eating attitude.

Improving collaborative care in managing eating disorders: a pilot study

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of a continuing interprofessional educational workshop focused on eating disorders in a rural area in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. The pilot study helped determine if the eating disorder workshop was feasible for implementation to a broader audience. A conceptual model developed by our eating disorder team and described in the article guided this innovative program.

METHODS

The intensive 2-day workshop was piloted in one community with 41 health and education professionals in attendance. A key element was the focus on creating and sustaining collaborative care for eating disorders. Participants completed pre-post workshop measures of interprofessional attitudes and skills, self-reported knowledge, confidence, and intention to change practice (post questionnaire only). A 6-month follow-up survey measured self-reported practice change.

RESULTS

There were significant positive changes in interprofessional attitudes and skills as well as knowledge and confidence in collaborative management of eating disorders. Post-workshop, 69% (n = 24/35) of participants indicated intention to change practice, and on follow-up, 7 of 10 respondents reported implementing changes in practice as a result of the workshop. Low response rate at follow-up was a limitation.

DISCUSSION

Results support the impact of the workshop in improving knowledge, confidence, and attitudes toward collaboration and changing practice and the value of implementing the program province-wide.

A community-based training program for eating disorders and its contribution to a provincial network of specialized services

The Ontario Community Outreach Program for Eating Disorders is a pilot training project within the eating disorder programs at the University Health Network--Toronto General Hospital (TGH) and the Hospital for Sick Children. This system provides ongoing training, consultation, and research evaluation in areas ranging from prevention through to tertiary care, in the hopes of increasing the capacity of practitioners to respond to the healthcare pressures of those experiencing eating disorders. A total of 3,315 health care practitioners and educators in Ontario participated in community-based training workshops. A pre-post analysis of participants' self-report evaluations was conducted using chi-square analyses. The findings revealed that there was a statistically significant increase in participants' (a) knowledge of eating disorders and of body image issues and (b) level of comfort to either treat clients with eating disorders or teach a curriculum on body image. The contribution of the training program to the development of a provincial network of specialized eating disorder services, designed to promote the public's access to timely and appropriate care for the full spectrum of eating disorders, are discussed.

Bulimia nervosa: knowledge, awareness, and skill levels among advanced practice nurses

PURPOSE

To examine the knowledge, awareness, and self-perceived skill levels regarding bulimia nervosa (BN) among advance practice nurses (APNs) caring for young female patients.

DATA SOURCES

Two hundred APNs of various nurse practitioner (NP) specialties were surveyed with a mailed questionnaire. One hundred and twenty-one (61%) surveys were returned and analyzed.

CONCLUSIONS

Results demonstrated that APNs are knowledgeable and aware about BN. There were several statistically significant relationships among awareness and self-perceived skill levels. Pediatric NPs were found to be the most aware of BN in their young female patients.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The incidence of eating disorders is on the rise. Bulimia nervosa, a common secretive illness, poses a significant challenge for APNs potentially leading to missed diagnosis. There is a paucity of research exploring this issue. Study findings provide evidence to enhance curricula on eating disorders in academic and continuing education programs and guidance for future research.

Pharmacotherapy and medical complications of eating disorders in children and adolescents

In this article, the authors cover two areas of interest regarding eating disorders in childhood and adolescence: (1) the detection of eating disorders in medical practice and their medical complications and (2) the psychopharmacologic treatment of patients with eating disorders.

Obesity concerns, weight satisfaction and characteristics of female dieters: a study on female Taiwanese college students

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to obtain baseline data regarding desired body weight, weight satisfaction, self-perceived weight categories, approaches to weight loss of female college students in Taiwan. The characteristics of subjects who are dieting were also assessed.

METHODS

One thousand, fifty-seven female college students participated in this study. Written questionnaires were used for data collection. Students' height and weight were also measured. Simple frequency and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze data. Post hoc analyses were performed with the LSD test when the F ratio for the ANOVA was significant at p<0.05.

RESULTS

In general, subjects perceived themselves as being heavier than their actual weight categories. The percentage of subjects who perceived they were overweight or obese was much higher than the percentage of subjects who were actually in these categories (51.4% vs. 16.2%). Above 20% of subjects in both severely underweight and underweight categories use some methods to lose weight. More than 60% of subjects in acceptable weight categories still want to lose weight. A higher percentage of subjects chose exercise than dieting as the major weight-loss method. Subjects in the DS/D (dissatisfied/dieting) group did not score higher points for knowledge and attitude in nutrition, and they tended to measure their body weight more frequently (p<0.05), spent more time for exercise (p<0.05) and for reading nutrition information (p<0.05); they also skipped lunch (p<0.05) more frequently than others.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that risk factors leading to eating disorders are common among Taiwanese college females. Dietitians, physicians and other health professionals should be on the alert to identify patients with eating disorders.