Prevalence of Eating Disorders Among Adolescents in the Northwest of Iran

Abstract

Background:Perceived sociocultural pressure to be thin has an important impact on disordered eating during early and middle adolescence, but less is known about late adolescence. Adolescents face special problems that are less common during childhood. Several studies indicate that the prevalence of eating disorders has been increased among adolescents.Objectives:The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence, prevalence and correlates of eating disorders (ED) among adolescents in two cities of Iran, Urmia and Tabriz.Patients and Methods:This was a cross-sectional survey in which 1990 adolescent boys and girls were selected through multistage random sampling. The study was based on self-report questionnaires including eating attitudes test (EAT-26) and DSM-IV criteria for the presence of eating disorders. To analyze the obtained data we calculated measures of central tendency and dispersion, linear and logistic regression and Fisher’s exact test.Results:According to diagnostic criteria of EAT-26, 492 students (24.2%) were at risk of ED and scored above the recommended cut-off point on EAT-26. Among 1990 students, a total of 51 cases (0.25%) of eating disorder (14 anorexia nervosa, 18 bulimia nervosa, and 19 eating disorder not otherwise specified) were diagnosed.Conclusions:The obtained prevalence of ED in our study was higher than previous studies in Iran. We found high numbers of boys with ED. Overweight adolescents were shown to be more susceptible to strict dieting than normal-weight adolescents. These results suggest that it is necessary to provide screening and treatment services for Iranian adolescents. Further research is needed to develop intervention programs to control eating disorders among Iranian adolescents.

Disordered eating attitudes: demographic and clinico-anthropometric correlates among a sample of Nigerian students

“…These findings are similar in some regard to those reported in previous studies examining the correlates of eating disorders or abnormal eating attitudes including gender, age, 2,3,21,46 , body weight 24,46 , and BMI 3,21,24,46 .…”

“…Indeed another study conducted in urban South Africa found lower rates of disordered eating attitude of 3.5% with the authors concluding that "ethnicity per se may not 'protect' against the development of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in non-Western Black populations" 24 . Our study can also be compared with similar studies conducted in Iran, Brazil and Canada where prevalence rates of 24.2%, 13.4%, and 8.4% respectively have been reported 3,31,44 . The Canadian sample however comprised of people between 18 and 98 years of age.…”

“…With regards to gender, the finding that females were more likely to have disordered eating attitude was not surprising as it has been documented in literature that females are more likely to have concerns about their appearance and looks 32,33,35,43,47 . Likewise studies have largely reported the preponderance of body-image disorders and eating disorders among females 3,32,35,43 , to the extent that majority of studies reviewed were conducted solely among females. 7,16,19,26,30,33,34 The participants who were students of the College of Technology tend to have disordered eating attitudes compared to those sampled from the University.…”

“…Generally, young people tend to be influenced by the perception of their body shape and size [1][2][3] . While this may be a normal part of development, morbid situations exist in which individuals have abnormal perceptions of their body image, accompanied by abnormality in their weight and eating behaviors.…”

“…Earlier studies of disordered eating attitudes report varying rates including 10% -16% from studies in the Americas 30,31 , 3% -13.7% in Europe 22,32 , 4% -30% in Asia 3,20,23,[33][34][35] . Generally, studies of disordered eating attitudes among males reported rates ranging from 3% -4.5% 22,23 .…”