Disordered Eating Attitudes and Their Correlates among Iranian High School Girls

Relationship between early menarche, obesity, and disordered eating behaviors: a school-based cross-sectional survey in Northern Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Obesity and disordered eating (DE) behaviors are serious health concerns, regularly observed among female adolescents, which could progress to adverse psychological and nutritional sequels.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity and the self-reported DE behaviors among high school female students and to evaluate their self-perception of body image, peer pressures, and need for dietary consultation.

METHODS

This is a school-based cross-sectional study conducted in 2018. Self-administered surveys and anthropometric measurements were obtained from adolescent females, randomly selected from eight schools in northern Saudi Arabia. Sample characteristics were age, menarche, and DE behaviors (binge eating, self-induced vomiting, and usage of laxatives). Body mass index was converted to percentiles using the age-to-gender scale. Self-perception of body image, perceived peer pressures, and the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) were scored, summated, and then presented in percentage mean scores (PMSs) and mean scores (MSs).

RESULTS

Sample comprised 399 participants. One hundred twenty-eight (32.1%) participants reported early age of menarche (≤12 years). Sixty-five (16.3%) participants reported the prevalence of overweight/obesity, 123 (30.8%) participants reported binge eating, 28 (7.0%) participants reported self-induced vomiting, and 21 (5.3%) participants reported usage of laxatives. The PMS of self-perception of body weight and peer pressure was 68.7±27.1 and 41.9±23.5, respectively. One hundred ninety-two (48.1%) participants needed professional dietary help. Students with early age of menarche were 1.7 times more likely to be overweight/obese (adjusted [adj] P=0.018) compared to others. Overweight/obese participants had significantly poorer self-perception of body image (PMS =47.4±25.0) and higher perceived peer pressure (PMS =49.5±23.1) compared to underweight/normal weight students (PMS =72.8±25.6 [P<0.001] and PMS =40.5±23.3 [P=0.005], respectively). Participants with early age of menarche complained of higher perceived peer pressure compared to others (P=0.045). Participants with DE behaviors had higher peer pressure (PMS =46.8±23.5) and higher scores on E-26 (MS =22.2±11.4) compared to their counter groups (P=0.002 and 0.016, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The high rate of overweight/obesity and DE behaviors among female adolescents is alarming. Special consideration should be made for those with early menarche who were more prone to overweight/obesity.

Risk of eating disorders in a non-western setting: an exploratory study in Khartoum state, Sudan

PURPOSE

Recent research suggests an emergence of eating disorders [ED] in non-western settings for unknown reasons. This research investigates the presence of ED in Khartoum State [Sudan], and explores relevant factors amongst women at risk of ED and stakeholders involved with mental health care and policy-making.

METHODS

Women from four summer schools were approached and screened for risk of ED using a validated and adapted form of the Eating Attitudes Test-26. Focus groups were performed within the schools, selected participants at high risk were interviewed, and interviews with stakeholders were performed.

RESULTS

Around a third (32.6%) of participants scored as having high risk of ED. Interviews showed recurring themes determining eating attitudes including: intention, knowledge, environment and habit. Stakeholders' opinions depended on whether they work directly with those affected by ED or in policy-making. The former advocated increased attention on ED, the latter did not. Overall, services for ED were lacking.

CONCLUSIONS

A high presence of negative eating attitudes was found amongst screened participants with high risk of ED. Individual intention overrides all other determinants for abnormal eating. Moreover, evidence suggests that westernization may attribute to ED, supporting the view that ED are culturally bound. The differing stakeholders' views, together with other data found in this study, allow a number of recommendations for increasing awareness and identification of ED in Sudan.

Disordered eating attitudes: demographic and clinico-anthropometric correlates among a sample of Nigerian students

OBJECTIVES

We set out in this study to determine the demographic and clinico-anthropometric correlates of disordered eating attitudes among undergraduate students of two higher institutions in Lagos, Nigeria.

METHODS

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 1,054 participants after written informed consent. A socio-demographic questionnaire, the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were administered to the participants. In addition, their blood pressure, height and weight were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated.

RESULTS

The study participants comprised of 561(55.6%) males with median age of 21.4 years. The mean (±SD) score on EAT-26 was 11.52(±8.54), and 16% of all the respondents were categorized as having disordered eating attitude. A significant relationship was found between disordered eating attitude and age (p= 0.027), gender (p= <0.001), institution of study (p= 0.005), systolic blood pressure (p=0.019), BMI (p= 0.027) and psychological distress (p=0.005).

CONCLUSION

Our study observed disordered eating attitude to be prevalent among young adults, and demographic along with clinico-anthropometric factors constituted associated factors. Our findings strengthen the basis to incorporate health awareness programs aimed at improving nutrition and eating behavior among the young adult population. Future research is needed.

Disordered eating attitude and associated factors among high school adolescents aged 12-19 years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Eating disorders are very complex, frequently developed and have a public health impact on adolescents. Different studies revealed that eating disorders is a pressing public health problem among adolescents. Eating disorders may also lead to mortality due to their physiological sequelae. There is no previous study regarding disordered of eating attitude in Ethiopian adolescents. Therefore, this study aimed to assess prevalence of disordered eating attitude and its associated factors among adolescents in Addis Ababa high schools.

METHODS

A school-based cross sectional study was conducted. Data were collected among 836 high school adolescents aged 12-19 years from May to June, 2015 in Addis Ababa city. The data were collected by self-administered questionnaire containing eating attitudes test-26 items (EAT-26) and socio-demographic factors. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with disordered eating attitude. Both crude odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio were calculated to show the strength of association. In multivariable analysis, variables with a P value of <0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The prevalence of disordered eating attitude among adolescents was 8.6% [95% CI 4.9, 12.3]. Being female [AOR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.03, 3.00], Mother's educational status (Primary [AOR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.11, 0.78], Certificate/diploma [AOR = 0.22, 95% CI 0.07, 0.58] and first degree and above [AOR = 0.16, 95% CI 0.07, 0.40]) were found to be significantly associated with disordered eating attitude.

CONCLUSION

The finding of this study revealed that a significant number of adolescents were susceptible to developing disordered eating attitude. Being female and Mothers' education status were significantly associated with disordered eating attitude among adolescents. Provision of screening test for eating disorders focusing on female adolescents is highly recommended.

The Relationship of Disordered Eating Attitudes With Body Composition and Anthropometric Indices in Physical Education Students

Background:

Abnormal eating behavior, unhealthy weight control methods, and eating disordered symptoms have risen among college students.

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to examine disordered eating attitudes and their relationship with anthropometric and body composition indices in physical education students in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province, Iran.

Patients and Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 210 physical education students, 105 males and 105 females aged 18 to 25, who were selected by systematic random sampling from physical education faculty of Tabriz University in Tabriz, Iran, in 2013. Eating attitude test (EAT-26) was used for the assessment of disordered eating attitudes. In addition, anthropometric and body composition indices were assessed.

Results:

About 10% of the studied subject had disturbed eating attitudes; significantly more males (15.4%) reported an EAT-26 ≥ 20 (disordered eating attitudes) than females (4.8%) (P < 0.05). In males, the EAT-26 score was positively correlated with weist perimeter (WP) (r = 0.21, P < 0.05) and the waist-to-hip ratio (r = 0.26, P < 0.01). In females, the EAT-26 score was positively correlated with weight (r = 0.19, P < 0.05) and the WP (r = 0.28, P < 0.01). In females, weight (P < 0.05), body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.05), WP (P < 0.01), and waist-to-hip ratio (P < 0.05) were significantly different between disordered eating attitude and healthy subjects, while in males there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the anthropometric and body composition indices.

Conclusions:

Abnormal eating attitude was notable among physical education students in Tabriz, Iran. It seems that some anthropometric indices such as BMI and central obesity indices were related to the increase of disordered eating attitude.

Disordered eating and its association with overweight and health-related quality of life among adolescents in selected high schools of Tehran

This study aimed to determine the association between disordered eating and overweight and also health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among adolescents in high schools of Tehran. The participants were 465 adolescents, aged 14-17 years. After anthropometric measurements, body mass index-for-age and body weight status were determined using World Health Organization cut offs. The Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™4.0) were used to assess disordered eating and HRQOL, respectively. Disordered eating was prevalent in 18.9% of adolescents, with higher prevalence in girls (26.4%) compared to boys (11.8%; χ(2):16.29, p < 0.05). Disordered eating was associated with overweight in girls (χ(2) = 11.07, p < 0.05), but not in boys (χ(2) = 2.01, p = 0.16). Disordered eating was associated with poor HRQOL especially in psychosocial domains of HRQOL. Considering the high prevalence of disordered eating and its association with overweight and poor HRQOL, preventive interventions targeting adolescents are recommended.

The association between the development of weighing technology, possession and use of weighing scales, and self-reported severity of disordered eating

The aim of this study is to investigate David Healy's hypothesis that the development of weighing technologies significantly contributes to the development of anorexia nervosa. A newly developed questionnaire and the EAT-26 were used to investigate these ideas. The key results from this study are that a positive correlation between EAT-26 scores and the frequency of weighing (p ≤ 0.001), and that group differences were also found between the control group and those with an EAT-26 score of 20 or above on weighing scale ownership (p = 0.017), the type of scale owned (p = 0.002) and whether people weighed themselves often (p ≤ 0.001); indicating that those with a higher EAT-26 score were more likely to own weighing scales, own digital weighing scales, and weigh themselves more often. These results suggest that the increased precision and usage of weighing technologies may potentially be a causal factor in disordered eating, and as such, this idea can be extended to suggest the hypothesis that frequent and precise weighing of anorexic patients in therapy may actually be counter-productive.