Abnormal eating attitudes: prevalance at a canadian university

The authors conducted a survey of the prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes and behaviours among all women undergraduates living in on-campus residences at Queen's University and systematic samples of men and women undergraduates living in off-campus residences, using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) as the study instrument. The results, although comparable to those of similar studies at other universities and colleges, are unusual in that they identify a group of high scoring respondents who did not return to Queen's University the year following the study.Of 1,982 students surveyed, 1,082 were women living in on-campus residences, 450 were women living in off-campus accommodation and 450 were men also living off-campus. The off-campus groups were matched with the on-campus groups for program and year.The response rate was 50.6%. Of these respondents, 14.7% had scores of 20 or more on the EAT-26; scores typical of those reached by persons sufferering from eating disorders. Both groups of women had the same prevalence of high scorers (16.8%), while the prevalence of high scores in male students was 2.7%. Of 16 high scorers clinically interviewed, 13 (81.3%) fulfilled diagnostic criteria for eating disorders.