Risk of eating disorders in Mexican university students

Abstract

Objective: To determine the distribution of the risk of developing an eating disorder, other psychological variables, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity in Mexican university students. The second aim was to determine the association between the risk of developing an eating disorder and all variables by sex. Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out. Setting: The Health Sciences Institute and the Agricultural Sciences Institute within the Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Mexico. Participants: 395 university students (65 % women) aged 18 to 29. Analysis: Descriptive, correlational and binary regression model. Results: The risk of developing an eating disorder (moderate and high) was 37.3 % for women and 32.6 % for men. A logistic regression analysis of women showed that thin-ideal internalization (12.9 times), BMI (3.5 times) and inactivity (2.6 times) increased the risk of developing an eating disorder. In men, the drive for muscularity (7.5 times) and BMI (2.3 times) increased the risk. Conclusion and implications: The variables associated with the risk of developing an eating disorder differed by sex, except for BMI, which increased the risk in both sexes. Findings should be considered in the design of future interventions to prevent the risk of eating disorders and associated factors.

Keywords

• Eating disorder risk
• Psychological variables
• University students
• Mexico