Risk of eating disorders among university students and its association with dieting, weight control behavior and...

Eating disorders (ED) most often develop during adolescence and young adulthood. Therefore, university is deemed a period of risk due to increased academic demands and uncertainty about the future. Despite the high prevalence of ED among young adults, there is limited evidence regarding their association with non-substance behavioral addictions-such as mobile phone use and exercise addiction-in Mediterranean university populations. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of risk for ED and its association with risk factors among university undergraduate students. The association between ED risk and dieting, weight control behavior and the problematic use of mobile phones was also analyzed.

Two thousand six undergraduates aged between 18-30 at the University of the Balearic Islands participated in a cross-sectional survey. This survey included assessments of ED risk (Eating Attitudes Test-26 items, EAT-26), exercise addiction (Exercise Addiction Inventory, EAI), mobile phone addiction (Questionnaire on Mobile Phone-Related Experiences, CERM), body shape satisfaction (Stunkard Figure Rating Scale), and personality (Ten Item Personality Measure, TIPI). Additionally, questions regarding binge eating, dieting and other weight control behaviors, as well as sociodemographic and anthropometric data were included.

Among participants, 6.1% were found to be at risk for ED, with a higher prevalence in women than men (7.9% vs. 2.9%, p < 0.001). The logistic regression analysis showed that participants at risk were more responsible (OR = 1.410; p = 0.001), with lower emotional stability (OR = 0.810; p = 0.011), they had more frequent problems related to mobile phone (OR = 5.523; p < 0.001) and more risk of exercise addiction (OR = 8.965; p < 0.001). Furthermore, participants with ED risk performed more weight control behavior (OR = 2.808; p < 0.001), binge eating (OR = 1.887; p = 0.007) and dieting (OR = 7.465; p < 0.001 for successful diets; OR = 2.670; p = 0.011 for unsuccessful diets), and reported a desire for a lower body mass (OR = 4.411; p < 0.001).

ED risk was found to be associated with more frequent problems of mobile phone use and more risk of exercise addiction. The risk for eating disorders was associated with following a diet but also with the intention of following a diet. Therefore, measuring addictive exercise, problematic phone use or the continuous intention to follow diets could contribute to early determine ED risk.