Proportion of disordered eating among Latin American university students: A multicountry cross-sectional study

Pursuing a university degree is a complex experience that may increase susceptibility to disordered eating behaviors. However, the proportion of disordered eating among university students in Latin America remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the proportion of disordered eating and their associated factors among Latin American undergraduate university students.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3206 undergraduate students from Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay. The proportion of disordered eating was determined via the Sick, Control, One Stone, Fat, Food (SCOFF) questionnaire. In addition, sociodemographic, academic, anthropometric, and health perception variables were analyzed as associated factors. For statistical analysis, a linear regression model was used.

The overall percentage of disordered eating was 35 % (1115 students) according to the SCOFF questionnaire. No statistically significant differences were observed across countries, faculties, or university types (p > 0.05). Poor health perception (55.3 %; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 52.2 to 58.3; p < 0.001), female sex (39.3 %; 95 % CI 37.4 to 41.2; p < 0.001), and overweight or obesity (35.4 %; 95 % CI 33.8 to 37.0; p < 0.001) were associated with disordered eating. In contrast, being older than 21 years was a protective factor against disordered eating (31.5 %; 95 % CI 29.1 to 33.9; p = 0.002).

More than one-third of the university students reported disordered eating. Poor health perception, female sex, and overweight or obesity were factors associated with disordered eating in our population. These findings highlight the need for preventive and intervention strategies during this critical period. However, longitudinal studies or intervention trials are needed to explore the causal relationship of our findings.