Fitness Intention and Its Relationship With Eating Attitudes: A Cross-Sectional Study of Iranian Female Medical College Students

Abstract

BackgroundFitness is a very important goal among young adults that may lead to eating disorders.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing fitness intention based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and its relationship to eating attitudes.Materials and MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 231 female college students during the winter of 2012. Participants were randomly selected in proportion to their distribution among the different faculties at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. A structured questionnaire was applied for collecting data and data was analyzed by SPSS version 21 using a T-test, ANOVA, bivariate correlations, and linear regression at a 95% significant level.ResultsNearly 21.6% of the participants had abnormal eating attitudes. The TPB variables accounted for 40% of the variation in fitness intention. Bivariate correlations indicated a positive correlation between fitness intention and eating attitude (r = 0.417, P < 0.05).ConclusionsBased on our results, it seems that designing and implementing educational programs to reduce positive attitudes and encourage subjective norms toward fitness may be useful for preventing abnormal eating attitudes.

Disordered eating attitudes among Iranian university students of medical sciences: The role of body image perception

“…In psychological terms, eating disorders often begin in adolescence (Farid and Akbari Kamrani, 2016). Eating disorders are the most common type of disorders among teenagers after obesity and asthma (Hosseini et al, 2016). Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, especially among adolescents and young women, have become an issue of worldwide concern (Musaiger et al, 2013).…”

“…A range of disordered eating attitudes among Iranian university students has been previously reported as 9.5% (Naeimi et al, 2016) and 10% (Rouzitalab et al, 2015). Eating disorders can start as mild forms of disorders in nutrition attitudes and abnormal attitudes to eating, including abnormal attitudes to current and ideal weight, conception of body and eating behavior, and preoccupations with food, its metabolism in the body and its excretion (Hosseini et al, 2016). Disordered eating behaviors are associated with an increased risk of other health-compromising behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol and drug use, depression and suicide (Jones et al, 2001).…”

“…The evaluation of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in non-clinical samples is necessary to monitor and track trends and changes in prevalence and to assist in the development and planning of preventive and treatment programs (Jones et al, 2001). Considerable research has been conducted on body image and eating disorders but few studies have been conducted on eating attitudes and body image in Iran; most of these Iranian studies have focused on disordered eating attitudes in female students at college (Alipoor et al, 2009;Hosseini et al, 2016;Nadjarzadeh et al, 2012), and not on adolescent males or the general population (Garrusi and Baneshi, 2013). Hence, this research was designed to investigate the role of body image satisfaction in the relationship with eating attitudes among students of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences (QUMS) in Iran.…”

Socio-Cognitive Determinants of Regular Physical Activity among College Students

“…In terms of physical activity behavior, structures such as outcome expectation, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, selfregulation and social support have been paid more attention (11). Comprehensive health education programs need to emphasize on psychological factors that mediate and predict health-related behaviors (12,13). Considering that many studies were done in Iran without using the comprehensive theory to predict physical activity, and furthermore, students in southern Iran because of hot weather and geographical conditions had lack of regular physical activity, our SCT based study focused on exploring cognitive determinants related to the regular physical activity in a sample of youth college students in Iran.…”

Influência na qualidade de vida dos estudantes de Medicina relacionadas a má alimentação e sono

“…Dessa forma, as pessoas tendem a iniciar métodos compulsivos de alimentação, seja com dietas exageradamente restritas ou qualquer tipo de iniciativa de redução do peso, mesmo que seja maléfica à saúde. Além disso, como a maioria dos estudantes são solteiros, essa preocupação e compulsão tende a ser ainda mais evidente (Hosseini et al, 2016).…”