Behaviours and attitudes about body image and eating disorders among adolescent females in Kragujevac

Abstract

Eating disorders are often in older teens and young women with prevalence 4-5% with increasing tendency. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of eating disorders among adolescents in the city of Kragujevac, and to examine the relationship between the age and the type of eating disorder that can occur in adolescents. This descriptive, cross sectional study involved 220 participants (16-25 years old, 105 high school students and 115 students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences in Kragujevac, Serbia). Eating Attitudes Test EAT-26 questionnaire was used as a screening instrument, which consists of three subscales related to eating disorders (dieting, bulimia, oral control diet). The frequency of disturbed attitudes and eating habits among the investigated population was 26,8% (EAT-26 score ≥20). The high school students had a significantly higher score values (30,4% of girls achieved values EAT-26 score ≥20) than the medical students. Among the respondents, 17,6% were malnourished, 72,7% normal weight, 9,3% of the overweight and 0,5% obese. Eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) was 13,7%, subclinical bulimia 4,4% and subclinical anorexia 8,8%. There was statistically significant difference (p=0,024) in the expression of behavioral disorders between students of high school and faculty education. Our results suggest that malnutrition and anorexic syndrome are more frequently in population of medical students, but on the other hand, obesity and subclinical bulimic syndrome have a higher prevalence in high school student's population, which can be explained by inappropriate education for adolescents.