Prevalence of eating disorders among Saudi female university students during the COVID-19 outbreak

Eating disorders are multifaceted problems with various risk factors, including the sociocultural context, social media, society's beauty standards, personality, and genetics. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a cause of stress among university students, as well as inducing changes in their physical activity and eating habits.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the changes in body mass index and risk of developing eating disorders among university students during the COVID 19 pandemic.

This was a cross-sectional study of 1004 female students recruited from a university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from December 2020 to March 2021 through a self-administered questionnaire comprising three parts: sociodemographic items, the Eating Attitudes Test, and an evaluation of behavioral changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most participants were aged 18-24 years, single, lived with their parents, and had a moderate to high family income. There was a significant relationship between the risk of developing eating disorders and marital status (p < 0.001). College type (p < 0.003), fast food consumption (p = 0.010), and engaging in exercise (p < 0.001) were also significant factors. Based on categorizations of risk levels derived from the literature, about 31.5% of the participants had a high risk of developing eating disorders.

According to our results, eating disorders are relatively common among Saudi female undergraduate students. Thus, educational programs that aim to increase this population's awareness concerning appropriate nutrition and body weight are needed.