Gender differences in variables associated with eating disorders

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze gender differences in several variables involved in the development of eating disorders (ED): Overestimation of thinness, weight concerns, frequency of physical activity, dieting, subjective binge eating behavior, self-induced vomiting, domination that food has over a person’s life, and body image distortion. Participants were 544 young adults (278 women and 266 men) aged between 18 and 35 years. The Eating Attitudes Test and a series of ad hoc questions were administered. In general terms, women reported worse scores than men. These results highlight the need to design preventive strategies that are specific for women and men, aimed at both strengthening the acceptance of their own bodies and promoting a critical view of the imposed aesthetic model.