Eating Disorder Risk and Extreme Weight-control Behaviours among Young University Students: Is the Desire to Change Eating Habit Correlated?
Olumide Abiodun *
Department of Community Medicine, Babcock University, Ilishan, Nigeria and Centre for Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Sagamu, Nigeria.
John Ogunkoya
Department of Internal Medicine, Babcock University, Ilishan, Nigeria.
David Rabor
Benjamin Carson School of Medicine, Babcock University, Ilishan, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the desire to change eating habits and the risk of eating disorders and extreme weight-control behaviours among university students aged 15 to 24 years.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 1470 randomly selected undergraduate students of four universities. Data were collected using the well-validated Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) questionnaire. The effects of the desire to change eating habit on the outcome variables were assessed using odds ratio while possible effect modification by gender was assessed using the Mantel-Haenzsel test. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to build models to predict the outcome variables.
Results: The prevalence of Eating Disorder Risk and Extreme Weight-control Behaviours were 17.01% (95% CI=15.17-19.02) and 23.33% (95% CI=21.24-25.57) respectively. The desire to change eating habits was associated with greater odds of Eating Disorder Risk (1.43; 95CI=1.08-1.90; p= 0.011). The desire to change eating habits was associated with greater odds of Extreme Weight-control Behaviours among male participants (OR=2.37; 95%CI=1.59-3.53; p<0.001). A similar relationship was not found among female participants (OR= 0.98; 95% CI=0.70-1.37; p=0.8899). The Mantel Haenzsel test of homogeneity of odds ratio showed a p-value of 0.0005.
Conclusions: Eating Disorder Risk and Extreme Weight-control Behaviours are highly prevalent among university students in Nigeria. The desire to change eating habits may be correlated with a potential risk for an eating disorder. It could be a simple and realistic initial tool for predicting eating disorders and extreme weight-control behaviours among university students.
Keywords: Eating habits, eating disorders, extreme weight-control behaviour