Risk of eating disorders and the relationship with interest in modern culture among young female students in a university in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Eating disorders (EDs) emerge most often in adolescent girls. While the basic neural and psychiatric mechanisms of ED development remain unknown, their incidence has increased with sociocultural modernization. To determine what aspects of modern culture are related to EDs, we examined the relationship between predisposition to EDs and interest in several modern cultural factors among young female university students in Bangladesh. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of 196 female students aged 18–29 years in a university in Bangladesh. Their predisposition to EDs was examined using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), and their interest in modern culture was evaluated by grading interest in fashionable clothes, Indian TV shows/serials, luxury food and social network activities, and by examining involvement in cultural activities such as playing, dancing, parties and singing. The relationship between predisposition to EDs and interest in modern culture was then examined. The relation between EAT-26 score and body mass index (BMI) was also examined. Results The EAT-26 revealed that 37% of the participants were at risk of developing an ED. Correlation analyses showed that a high EAT-26 score was correlated with a high interest in fashionable clothes and Indian TV shows/serials, but not with a high interest in luxury food or social network activities, or involvement in cultural activities, such as playing, dancing, parties and singing. Further, EAT-26 questions in the dieting category and oral control category, but not the bulimia and food preoccupation category, were correlated with interest in cultural factors. EAT-26 score showed no significant correlation with BMI. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that the risk of EDs is related to an interest in several facets of modern culture. Monitoring the cultural interests of adolescent females, who are continually exposed to modern culture and highly susceptible to EDs, will contribute to the prevention of EDs.

Prevalence and predictors of binge eating disorder symptoms among a sample of university students in Bangladesh: A cross‐sectional survey

“…12,13 Currently, only a few published studies have been conducted among Bangladeshi students concerning the risk of eating disorders, 14,15 overweight and obesity and the risk of disordered eating, 16 orthorexia nervosa with other factors, 17 and association between eating disorder and modern culture. 18 However, no studies have specifically explored the symptomology of BED among the university student populations in Bangladesh. A comprehensive investigation into the prevalence and factors associated with BED among university students in Bangladesh is crucial for several reasons.…”