The well now course: a service evaluation of a health gain approach to weight management

Background The Well Now health and weight course teaches body respect and health gain for all. The course validates peoples’ lived experiences and knowledge through group activities and discussion with the aim of helping people to better understand their food and body stories. Well Now explores different ways of knowing, including the use and limits of body signals, like energy levels, hunger, taste and emotions and helps people keep food and behaviours in perspective by drawing attention to other factors that impact on health and wellbeing. This study undertook a service evaluation of the Well Now course to understand its acceptability for participants and its impact on diet quality, food preoccupation, physical activity and mental wellbeing. Methods This service evaluation combined quantitative pre- and post-course measures with telephone interviews with previous attendees. Paired t-tests were used to determine if there were statistically significant differences in the intended outcomes. Semi-structured qualitative telephone interviews were undertaken with previous attendees 6–12 months after attendance to understand how participants experienced the Well Now course. Results Significant improvements were demonstrated in diet quality, food preoccupation, physical activity and mental wellbeing outcomes. Medium effect sizes are demonstrated for mental wellbeing and diet quality, with smaller effect sizes shown for physical activity and food preoccupation. The weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) of attendees remained stable in this timeframe. The qualitative data corroborates and extends elements of the quantitative outcomes and highlights areas of the course that may benefit from further development and improvement. The findings further indicate that the Well Now approach is largely acceptable for attendees. Conclusions Well Now’s non-judgemental holistic approach facilitates change for those who complete the course, and for those who do not. This health gain approach upholds non-maleficence and beneficence, and this is demonstrated with this service evaluation for both completers and partial completers.

Eating Disorders and Nutritional Status of College Girls in Ludhiana City, Punjab (India)

Eating disorders and overweight are notable health issues, which are increasing day by day among young adults. Therefore, the study was conducted to evaluate the extent and type of eating disorders among college girls. A sample of 500 college girls in the age group of 18-25 years was randomly selected from five colleges of Ludhiana city, Punjab. Eating disorders were assessed by using Eating Attitude Test (EAT) questionnaire and subjects were categorized into two groups - With Eating Disorders (WED) and Without Eating Disorders (WOED). Prevalence of eating disorders among college girls on basis of EAT scale was 46 percent with higher mean scores of oral control (15.86±6.29) followed by dieting (13.17±8.47), bulimia, and food preoccupation (3.86±1.98). The correlation coefficient showed positive associations of eating disorders with body mass index. This study suggested formulating nutrition and health fitness clubs in colleges to create awareness and practices regarding diet, exercise, and yoga.

Disordered Eating Patterns and Sexual Self-Esteem in Married Women: The Mediating Role of Body Image Concern

Introduction: The contemporary psychology is looking for numerous mediators and risk factors that may exacerbate the marital relationship with regard to the consequences of disordered eating patterns in general and sexual satisfaction in particular. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of body image concern in the relationship between disordered eating patterns and sexual self-esteem in married women. Methods: The participants of this study were 213 married women who referred to the nutrition department of Kazerun City in 2019 and were selected by available sampling method. To collect data, Eating Attitudes Test (Garner & Garfinkel, 1979), Body Image Concern Inventory (Littleton et al., 2005), and Sexual Self-Esteem Inventory for Women (Zeanah, Schwarz, 1996) were used. Results: The results of structural equation modeling indicated that the three subscales of disordered eating patterns were directly associated with sexual self-esteem. Of the above-mentioned patterns, only the "overeating and food preoccupation" pattern affected sexual self-esteem indirectly by mediating of body image concern (β= -0.14, P< 0.01). Therefore, it can be argued that overeating and food preoccupation reduced the sexual self-esteem in married women by increasing the body image concern. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study indicated the importance of simultaneous attention to disordered diets and body image concern for predicting sexual self-esteem in married women.

Relationship between Eating Disorder, Body Fat Percentage, and Physical Activity among Sarawak Female National Athletes

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the eating disorder and physical activity in relation to type of sports and body fat percentages among national female athletes in Sarawak (N=150). Methodology: Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) were employed to measure the eating disorders and physical activity. Anthropometric measurement and body composition (body fat percentage) were obtained. Results: Majority of the athletes were at low risk of an eating disorder (91.4%). Only a few indicated as high risk (8.6%). Moderately active athletes explained higher eating disorders in dieting, bulimia nervosa and food preoccupation. The non-weight sports athletes also exhibited higher eating disorders compared to its counterpart. Younger athletes were at higher eating disorder, but age was not significant in the subscales measured; except for food preoccupation where it was prominent in age 16 to 18 years old. Oral control did not associate with all the independent variables. Some relationships observed between body fat percentage and eating disorder and the subscales. Conclusion: There is a need for coaches’ attention and intervention on these athletes to prevent abnormal eating behavior among the young female athletes. This study highlights interesting findings where the less active athletes and the non-weight sports category athletes exhibit higher eating disorders issues.

Problematic Internet Use as a Predictor of Eating Disorders in Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

Problematic Internet use (PIU) has begun to be linked to the development of certain eating disorders. This uncontrolled use of the Internet is mainly found in the student population. The purposes of this paper were to determine PIU-related eating disorders in students from a systematic review of the literature and to analyze the incidence of PIU in eating disorders through a meta-analysis of the literature. We used two electronic databases (Web of Science and Scopus) from inception to June 2019. The systematic literature review was based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 12 studies were identified (systematic review) and 10 studies for meta-analysis, which included 16,520 students. Different eating disorders were associated with PIU: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, food preoccupation, loss of control eating, and dieting. Furthermore, meta-analysis confirmed that PIU is a predictor of eating disorders in students. The groups of students with PIU presented a higher rate in the presence of eating disorders, these differences being significant. Finally, this study showed empirical evidence on the link between PIU and eating disorders. The need for prevention in childhood and adolescence is highlighted.

Are inappropriate eating behaviors and anxiety related with track and field in adolescent athletes?

OBJECTIVE: The study analyzed the relationship between anxiety and inappropriate eating behaviors in adolescent female athletes. METHODS: Eighty-eight track and field athletes aged 12 to 17 years participated in the study. We used the Eating Attitudes Test-26 subscales to assess inappropriate eating behaviors and the Brazilian State - Trait Anxiety Inventory subscales to assess State and Trait anxiety. RESULTS: State - Trait Anxiety Inventory - State (p=0.18) or State - Trait Anxiety Inventory - Trait (p=0.14) had no significant influence on the Dieting subscale score. The Bulimia and Food Preoccupation subscale score was also not influenced by State - Trait Anxiety Inventory - State (p=0.25) or State - Trait Anxiety Inventory - Trait (p=0.21). However, State - Trait Anxiety Inventory - Trait (p=0.048) had a significant impact on the Oral Control subscale score, but State - Trait Anxiety Inventory - State (p=0.19) did not explain its variance. CONCLUSION: Only State - Trait Anxiety Inventory - Trait was related to oral control and the environmental and social forces that encourage food intake in female athletes.