Prevalence of eating disorders in female university students and affecting factors

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the size and the prevalence of eating disorders among the female students at the University of Cukurova and to evaluate the affecting sociodemographic and psychological factors. Methods: This cross-sectional was carried out among female students who study at Cukurova University between November 2012 and May 2013. While 668 students were planned to achieve, 32 (4.7%) of the students were absent, thus a total 636 students (95.3%) were included in the study. A questionnaire that queries sociodemographic characteristics, Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) were administered to the participants by face to face interview method. After the questionnaires completed, weight and height were measured to calculate the body mass index (BMI). In data evaluation, for comparisons of numerical variables t-test between independent groups; for comparisons of categorical variables chi-square test was used. Findings: The mean age of the participants was 21.63±1.80. According to the EAT cut-off scores 6.3% of the participants were found to have an eating disorder. Eating disorders were found to be significantly low in those who have crowded families. Preexisting disease existence, BMI and BDI scores of eating disorders were significantly higher than those without eating disorders. LSAS scores were not significantly different between students with or without eating disorders. Conclusion: Eating disorders are common in university students. It should be also kept in mind that students who have depressive symptoms and high BMI are at risk in terms of eating disorders. [Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg 2016; 17(1.000): 42-50]