This article is based on an empirical study designed to learn more about how college students communicate regarding food and body/weight/shape/appearance. Data from a survey of 272 randomly selected college students (82 males and 190 females) were collected and analyzed to explore the relationships of "fat talk," a behavior described by Nichter to refer to conversations about eating and body-related issues, to eating pathology and body dissatisfaction. Results indicate that the frequency of fat talk is positively related to eating pathology and body dissatisfaction in students with and without an eating-disorder diagnosis. Furthermore, results reveal that the most frequently reported topic of fat talk was other people's appearance. Suggestions for modifying conventional prevention and intervention efforts aimed at decreasing undergraduate eating pathology and body dissatisfaction by incorporating strategies to reduce the occurrence of "fat talk" are included.

Results indicate that peer health educators play an important role in promoting healthy behaviors in the areas of alcohol and drug use and in eating and nutrition.

This study investigated whether eating disorders and the use of unhealthy weight control methods increased over time in male and female university undergraduate students. Data from three random sample surveys of college students were collected over a 13-year period to investigate trends in disordered eating and unhealthy weight control behaviors. Data were collected in 2008 from 641 male and female randomly sampled undergraduate students were compared to 274 randomly sampled undergraduates surveyed in 2002 and 493 surveyed in 1995. Behaviors falling within the diagnostic category of eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) in both males and females significantly increased over time in accordance with the use of unhealthy weight control methods. Eating disorders should be routinely addressed by college health professionals through both treatment and prevention efforts, especially considering the frequent concurrent psychiatric and physiological comorbidities.

Anxious-depression symptomatology is frequently encountered among Latina/o individuals. There is a dearth of studies that examine this mixed class of anxiety and depression symptomatology, especially among Latina/o college students by the US-Mexico border. A total of 505 participants from rural institutions of higher education completed the DASS21. Psychometric properties were measured by means of confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to determine gender differences in depression, anxiety and stress. Among women, 18 % reported at least moderate levels of depressive symptoms, 33.1 % reported at least moderate levels of anxiety symptoms, and 16.4 % reported at least moderate levels of stress. In men, 15.9 % reported at least moderate levels of depressive symptoms, 34.1 % reported at least moderate levels of anxiety symptoms, and 12.9 % reported at least moderate levels of stress. The EFA supported a one dimension factor (anxious/stress-depression) among this sample of Latina/o college students (Bartlett's test = 4960.9; df = 210; p ≤ 0.01; Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin = 0.95). The MANOVA found no significant gender differences in depression, anxiety symptomatology and stress [Wilks'Λ = 0.99; F = (3, 500) = 2.41; p = 0.07]. The DASS-21 showed a one dimensional construct of anxious/stress-depression symptomatology in a Latina/o rural undergraduate sample, raising awareness to the need to screen and monitor this constellation of symptoms.

The authors discuss implications for future prevention as well as clinical and research efforts based on male symptoms within the diagnostic category of bulimia nervosa and eating disorder, not otherwise specified.