scholarly journals Prevalence of disordered eating attitudes in young adults

Author(s):  
Dimitrios Vlachakis ◽  
Chrisanthy Vlachakis

Objective. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of disordered eating and the dietary patterns of young adult female students. Method. 226 young female first and second year students were randomly recruited. The EAT-26 questionnaire was used to measure disordered eating, and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory tool (STAI) to assess anxiety levels. Results. The prevalence of disordered eating (DE group) was quite high and matched previous reported percentages for this age population (18%). DE students showed significantly lower energy intake compared to control group (CON) (1471 ± 357 vs. 1690 ± 563, kcals). Conclusion. Young adult female students show increased tendency towards disordered or restricted eating behaviours. Preventive intervention concerning the negative behaviours may be beneficial for all college students more so to those suffering from anxiety.

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Vlachakis ◽  
Chrisanthy Vlachakis

Objective. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of disordered eating and the dietary patterns of young adult female students. Method. 226 young female first and second year students were randomly recruited. The EAT-26 questionnaire was used to measure disordered eating, and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory tool (STAI) to assess anxiety levels. Results. The prevalence of disordered eating (DE group) was quite high and matched previous reported percentages for this age population (18%). DE students showed significantly lower energy intake compared to control group (CON) (1471 ± 357 vs. 1690 ± 563, kcals). Conclusion. Young adult female students show increased tendency towards disordered or restricted eating behaviours. Preventive intervention concerning the negative behaviours may be beneficial for all college students more so to those suffering from anxiety.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seliz Bagcilar ◽  
Ceren Gezer

Abstract Purpose The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between disordered eating behaviours, level of mindful eating and obesity amongst young female adults. Methods Two hundred and twenty-seven female young adults aged 19-35 living in Famagusta in North Cyprus participated in this current study. Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT)-26 were used for data collecting through face-to-face interviews. Weight and body composition were obtained by body composition analyser and height were obtained by stadiometer. The measurements of neck circumference (NC), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) were measured by using a non-stretching tape according to standard techniques. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. Results The majority of participants (66.5%) had less than 20 points on the EAT-26. Overall, the participants with BMI below 18.5 kg/m2 had the highest MEQ scores, while the participants with BMI above 30.0 kg/m2 had the lowest MEQ scores (p < 0.05). Similarly, statistical significance was found between the MEQ scores of obese and normal weighted participants (p < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was found between MEQ scores and BMI, fat mass, WHR, WHtR, NC and WC (r=-0.216, p < 0.01; r=-0.234, p < 0.01; r=-172, p < 0.01 and r=-0.244, p < 0.01, r=-0.145, p < 0.05; r=-0.238, p < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion Our findings suggest that there is a negative relationship between the level of mindful eating and BMI. The evidence from this study also suggests a positive relationship between the risk of eating disorders and BMI. Level of Evidence Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 2024 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Ramón Alvero-Cruz ◽  
Verónica Parent Mathias ◽  
Jerónimo C. García-Romero

The current study used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to examine the accuracy of somatotype components in correctly classifying disordered eating attitudes (DEA) in female dance students. Participants were a sample of 81 female dancers distributed in two groups: beginner training (BT; age (mean ± SD) = 10.09 ± 1.2 years, n = 32) and advanced training (AT; age = 15.37 ± 2.1 years, n = 49). For evaluation of DEA, the Eating Attitudes Test- 26 (EAT-26) questionnaire was used. We defined an EAT-26 score ≥20 as positive for DEA. Somatotype components were calculated using the Heath-Carter anthropometric method. The risk of presenting DEA was 28.1% (n = 9) in the BT group and 6.1% (n = 3) in the AT group. In the BT group, mesomorphy demonstrated moderate–high accuracy in predicting DEA (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64–0.93). The optimal cut-off of 6.34 yielded a sensitivity of 0.77 and a specificity of 0.95. Ectomorphy showed moderate accuracy in predicting DEA (AUC = 0.768, 95% CI: 0.58–0.89). The optimal cut-off of 2.41 yielded a sensitivity of 0.78 and a specificity of 0.78. In the AT group, none of the components demonstrated accuracy in predicting DEA. Somatotype components were good predictors of disordered eating attitudes in the younger dance student group (beginner training). Further research is needed to identify the determinants of these differences between the two groups.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 711-716
Author(s):  
Sinem Akgül ◽  
Ayfer Alikaşifoğlu ◽  
Alev Özon ◽  
Nazlı Gönç ◽  
Yasemin Düzçeker ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are at an increased risk of eating disturbances. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the risk of a disordered eating behavior (DEB) also applies to the well sibling sharing the same environment. Methods Well siblings were included if they were 10–18 years old, had a sibling with a T1DM diagnosis for at least 6 months and lived with the sibling during the illness. The control group was comprised of healthy participants recruited from the outpatient clinic with no family history of T1DM. Participants completed a four-part questionnaire concerning their eating behaviors that was developed by the study team. This survey aimed to evaluate the dietary habits and eating patterns. All participants completed the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and a 24-h food dietary recall. Any participant with a high EAT-26 score or that seemed to be at risk according to the questionnaire was re-evaluated. Results Eight cases (33.3%) in the well sibling group had either a total and/or subgroup pathological score. Three of them were found to have DEB and one case was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN). In the control group, five cases (17.2%) had either a total and/or subgroup pathological score. Three of these cases were found to have DEB, no cases were diagnosed with an eating disorder. There were no statistically significant differences in the EAT-26 scores between the groups. Conclusions Although a direct relationship was not observed, the probability of having a pathologic EAT-26 score was higher in the group with a sibling with T1DM.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desiree Thielemann ◽  
Felicitas Richter ◽  
Bernd Strauss ◽  
Elmar Braehler ◽  
Uwe Altmann ◽  
...  

Abstract. Most instruments for the assessment of disordered eating were developed and validated in young female samples. However, they are often used in heterogeneous general population samples. Therefore, brief instruments of disordered eating should assess the severity of disordered eating equally well between individuals with different gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic status (SES). Differential item functioning (DIF) of two brief instruments of disordered eating (SCOFF, Eating Attitudes Test [EAT-8]) was modeled in a representative sample of the German population ( N = 2,527) using a multigroup item response theory (IRT) and a multiple-indicator multiple-cause (MIMIC) structural equation model (SEM) approach. No DIF by age was found in both questionnaires. Three items of the EAT-8 showed DIF across gender, indicating that females are more likely to agree than males, given the same severity of disordered eating. One item of the EAT-8 revealed slight DIF by BMI. DIF with respect to the SCOFF seemed to be negligible. Both questionnaires are equally fair across people with different age and SES. The DIF by gender that we found with respect to the EAT-8 as screening instrument may be also reflected in the use of different cutoff values for men and women. In general, both brief instruments assessing disordered eating revealed their strengths and limitations concerning test fairness for different groups.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
M.J. Soares ◽  
B. Maia ◽  
A.T. Pereira ◽  
A. Gomes ◽  
M. Marques ◽  
...  

Aim:To investigate the role of perfectionism in the development of disordered eating behaviours.Method:382 female university students completed the Hewitt & Flett MPS and the EAT-40 at baseline, one year after (T1) and two years later (T2).Results:Perfectionism at baseline was significantly associated with long-term abnormal eating attitudes/behaviours. Self-Oriented Perfectionism (SOP) and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP) were significant predictors of disordered eating behaviours. SOP at baseline was predictive of diet concerns, at T1 and T2. Baseline SPP was correlated with overall eating disturbance at T1 and T2. Regression analysis revealed that only SPP was a significant predictor of bulimic behaviours and social pressure to eat at T1, but not at T2.Conclusion:Our findings contribute to a more clear understanding of the association between perfectionism and eating disorders. SOP and SPP were prospectively associated with abnormal eating attitudes/behaviours and SOP was found to be predictive of diet concerns.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0254948
Author(s):  
Souheil Hallit ◽  
Anna Brytek-Matera ◽  
Sahar Obeid

Background Previous research demonstrated a relationship between ON and disordered eating symptoms (eating concern, restraint, cognitive preoccupations about body shape and weight) and disordered eating attitudes (DEA). Since screening for orthorexia nervosa is now part of clinical practice, the measurement instruments to be used must be clinically significant, reliable, valid and sensitive to our target population. The main objective of the present study was to confirm the factor structure of the Arabic version of the ORTO-R using a first sample of Lebanese adults and confirm those results on another sample. The secondary objective was to assess sex differences in terms of ON and DEA, as well as to examine whether symptoms of ON were related to DEA in Lebanese adults. Methods A total of 783 Lebanese adults was selected to participate in this cross-sectional study (January-May 2018) using a proportionate random sample from all Lebanese governorates. Results The mean age of the total sample was 27.78 ± 11.60 years (Min. 18 –Max. 84) (33.5% females) and their mean BMI was 24.36 ± 5.31 kg/m2. All items of the ORTO-R were extracted during the factor analysis and yielded a two-factor solution with Eigenvalues > 1 (variance explained  =  50.07%; KMO = 0.570; Bartlett’s sphericity test p<0.001; αCronbach = 0.755). This factor structure was confirmed by a confirmatory factor analysis; the Maximum Likelihood Chi-Square  =  26.894 and Degrees of Freedom  =  8, which gave a χ2/df  =  3.36. The Tucker Lewis Index (TLI) value was 0.914, whereas the standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) value was 0.032. The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) value was 0.077 [95% CI 0.046–0.111] (pclose = 0.07) and comparative fit index (CFI) value was 0.967 respectively, indicating a good fit of the model. There was also no measurement invariance between genders. Female gender was significantly associated with lower ORTO-R scores (more orthorexia nervosa) compared to males (B = -0.65; p = 0.026, 95% CI -1.22- -0.08; ɳ2 = 0.006). However, no significant difference was found between genders in terms of EAT-26 scores (B = 0.23; p = 0.813, 95% CI -1.66–2.12; ɳ2 = 0.0001). Higher ORTO-R scores (lower/ less pathological ON tendencies and behaviors) were significantly related to higher EAT-26 total scores (higher levels of DEA) as well as higher dieting, bulimia and oral control scores in both females (from a weak to a moderate positive correlation) and males (a weak positive correlation). Conclusion This cross-sectional population-based study confirmed the factor structure of the Arabic version of the ORTO-R, demonstrated an association between ON and DEA and revealed more ON among females compared to males.


Author(s):  
Aparicio-Martinez ◽  
Perea-Moreno ◽  
Martinez-Jimenez ◽  
Redel-Macías ◽  
Pagliari ◽  
...  

Disordered eating attitudes are rapidly increasing, especially among young women in their twenties. These disordered behaviours result from the interaction of several factors, including beauty ideals. A significant factor is social media, by which the unrealistic beauty ideals are popularized and may lead to these behaviours. The objectives of this study were, first, to determine the relationship between disordered eating behaviours among female university students and sociocultural factors, such as the use of social network sites, beauty ideals, body satisfaction, body image and the body image desired to achieve and, second, to determine whether there is a sensitive relationship between disordered eating attitudes, addiction to social networks, and testosterone levels as a biological factor. The data (N = 168) was obtained using validated surveys (EAT-26, BSQ, CIPE-a, SNSA) and indirect measures of prenatal testosterone. The data was analysed using chi-square, Student’s t-test, correlation tests and logistic regression tests. The results showed that disordered eating attitudes were linked to self-esteem (p < 0.001), body image (p < 0.001), body desired to achieve (p < 0.001), the use of social media (p < 0.001) and prenatal testosterone (p < 0.01). The findings presented in this study suggest a relationship between body image, body concerns, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating attitudes among college women.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 392-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annica Caldeborg ◽  
Marie Öhman

Research within the field of intergenerational touch has shown that there is a tension between the need to use physical contact as an obvious pedagogical tool, and the no-touch discourse. Within this tension physical contact between physical education teachers and students has also been shown to be a gender/ed issue with heteronormative points of departure. The aim of this study is to investigate how young adult female students’ talk about physical contact between teachers and students in physical education is related to heteronormativity. The study takes its starting point in Foucault’s work on discourses and Butler’s performative perspective. Thirteen female students in upper secondary school were interviewed in four focus groups using photo elicitation. In the findings, three performatives are identified that show how the students’ talk about physical contact between teacher and student in physical education is related to heteronormativity. The three performatives are: (a) gendering with age; (b) being wary of men; and (c) feeling sympathy for men. The paper discusses the effects the heteronormative discourse has on young adult female students and male teachers in relation to physical contact in physical education.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam Ebrahim ◽  
Dalal Alkazemi ◽  
Tasleem A. Zafar ◽  
Stan Kubow

Abstract Background The prevalence of disordered eating attitudes and body dissatisfaction based on muscularity and body fat was investigated among male college students in Kuwait with a range of body mass index values including underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese participants. Methods Data were collected, using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the Bodybuilder Image Grid (BIG), from 400 male undergraduate students (84.8% Kuwaiti nationals) recruited from both public and private universities in Kuwait. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of symptomatology indicative of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and to examine the associations between body dissatisfaction and muscularity and body fat. Results Most participants were dissatisfied with their current muscle mass and body fat (67.3 and 69%, respectively). Logistic regression analyses produced odds ratios (ORs) demonstrating that students dissatisfied with their muscularity and body fat and those who indicated a desire to decrease both muscularity and body fat had significantly higher odds of being at risk of disordered eating attitudes (OR = 2.241, 95% CI [1.17, 3.6], p = .032, and OR = 1.898, 95% CI [1.214, 2.967], p = .005, respectively). Obese participants also had higher odds of exhibiting disordered eating attitudes (OR = 2.06, 95% CI [1.17, 3.60], p = .011). Conclusion The high proportion of disordered eating attitudes among Kuwaiti college men was associated with high levels of body image dissatisfaction in relation to both body fat and muscularity. High levels of eating disorder symptoms were also linked to obesity.


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