Body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors among female students at Birzeit university: a...

Body image dissatisfaction (BID) is a growing psychosocial concern and is strongly associated with disordered eating behaviors (DEBs), especially among young women. Although global awareness of these issues is increasing, research exploring the prevalence and relationship between BID and DEBs in Palestine remains scarce. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of DEBs and examine their association with BID among female university students.

A cross-sectional study was conducted at Birzeit University from February to June 2025 among 295 female students aged 18-25 years recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire that included sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), and the Body Shape Questionnaire-16B (BSQ-16B). DEB risk was defined as an EAT-26 score ≥ 20.

A total of 12.9% of participants were identified as being at risk of DEBs. BSQ-16B and EAT-26 scores were moderately positively correlated (r = 0.535, p < 0.001). DEBs were significantly associated with higher BMI, smoking, previous DEBs, social media influence, binge eating, weight-loss attempts, and a positive BMI discrepancy between actual and ideal BMI.

This study found that a notable proportion of Palestinian university women were at risk of DEBs and that BID was moderately associated with DEBs. These findings support the importance of screening for disordered eating behaviors and body image concerns among female university students in Palestine.