The association between eating disorders and mental health among workers

Abstract

Introduction Eating disorders are serious medical conditions labelled by severe disturbances to one’s eating behaviours. These disorders can affect employees’ physical and mental health. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the association between eating disorders and workers’ mental health. Methods The study was conducted among a group of workers from an electricity society. Data were gathered between January-June 2022 using a self-administered questionnaire including socio-professional characteristics, eating disorders evaluation, and mental health assessment using the Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). Results Our study included 92 workers. Their mean age was 43.8 ± 11.7 years and 73 were male (79.3%). The average job tenure was 17.6 ± 11.2 years. Thirty-eight participants (41.3%) had eating disorders. With the reference to HADS, 47 (51.1%) and 16 (17.4%) participants presented symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Regarding the patients’ anxiety levels, it was found that 82.6%, 12%, and 5.4% appeared to have mild, moderate, and severe anxiety, respectively. As for the depression levels of patients, 45 were mildly depressed (48.9%), 31 were moderately depressed (33.7%), and 16 were severely depressed (17.4%). Participants with eating disorders had higher scores of anxiety and depression p=0.001 and p=0.003 respectively. Conclusions According to our study, eating disorders had a significant association with the mental health of workers. Therefore, it is important to provide training for workers to have a healthy balanced diet to guarantee good mental health. Disclosure of Interest None Declared