Prevalence of eating disorders in Pakistan: relationship with depression and body shape

The current study was conducted to assess the prevalence of disturbed eating attitudes in postgraduate female students in Lahore, Pakistan. The interrelationships of disturbed eating attitudes, dissatisfaction with body weight and shape and depression were also investigated. A total of 111 volunteers were interviewed using the following questionnaires: Eating Attitude Test 26 items (EAT-26), Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and the Depression Subscale of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The findings indicated that 59% of the normal-weight and 21% of the underweight women considered themselves to be overweight; 17% scored above the EAT threshold. Two women met the DSM-IV criteria for bulimia nervosa (BN) and another two those for eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Two multiple regression analyses indicated that greater exposure to Western culture and dissatisfaction with body shape were strong predictors of faulty eating attitudes, whereas unrealistic body shape perceptions could contribute to depressive affect. These results have important implications in view of the high prevalence of disturbed eating attitudes in an Asian country.