Disordered Eating and Associated Risk Factors: Profiling Malaysian University Students with Disordered Eating

Abstract

Disordered eating (DE) refers to a range of troubling eating behaviors that are considered early warning signs of an eating disorder. The current literature warned that university students are at high risk for developing DE. This study aimed to investigate DE among Malaysian university students and its associated factors, including body dissatisfaction (BD), body mass index (BMI), general anxiety, and social appearance anxiety (SAA); particularly, establishing a profile of participants who displayed tendencies of DE. University students aged 18–25 in Malaysia completed the Disordered Eating Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Contour Drawing Rating Scale (CDRS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS). Their weight and height were also collected. 201 participants (female = 169; Mage = 21.3, SD = 1.34) were recruited. 43 participants (21.4%, 43/201) self-reported regular occurrence (≥ 4 occurrences) of binge episodes over the previous 28 days. 41 (95.3%) of the 43 participants reported BD, and 35 (81.3%) of them expressed a desire to be thinner. Additionally, they scored significantly higher on all four subscales and the Global EDE-Q scale as well as the SAAS, compared with those who self-reported less binge eating. Compared with those who self-reported having experienced less binge eating, those who regularly engaged in binge eating appeared to have significantly higher levels of SAA and four aspects of the psychopathology of DE, including weight, shape and eating concern as well as restraint. BD and the drive for thinness appeared to be prevalent amongst them.