Abstract
The authors conducted a survey of the prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes and behaviours among all women undergraduates living in on-campus residences at Queen's University and systematic samples of men and women undergraduates living in off-campus residences, using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) as the study instrument. The results, although comparable to those of similar studies at other universities and colleges, are unusual in that they identify a group of high scoring respondents who did not return to Queen's University the year following the study.
Of 1,982 students surveyed, 1,082 were women living in on-campus residences, 450 were women living in off-campus accommodation and 450 were men also living off-campus. The off-campus groups were matched with the on-campus groups for program and year.
The response rate was 50.6%. Of these respondents, 14.7% had scores of 20 or more on the EAT-26; scores typical of those reached by persons sufferering from eating disorders. Both groups of women had the same prevalence of high scorers (16.8%), while the prevalence of high scores in male students was 2.7%. Of 16 high scorers clinically interviewed, 13 (81.3%) fulfilled diagnostic criteria for eating disorders.
Keywords: eating disorders prevalence, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, Eating Attitudes Test-26, EAT-26
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Button E. J., Whitehouse A. Subclinical anorexia nervosa. Psychol Med. 1981 Aug;11(3):509–516. doi: 10.1017/s003329170005282x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Clarke M. G., Palmer R. L. Eating attitudes and neurotic symptoms in university students. Br J Psychiatry. 1983 Mar;142:299–304. doi: 10.1192/bjp.142.3.299. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Garner D. M., Garfinkel P. E. The Eating Attitudes Test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychol Med. 1979 May;9(2):273–279. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700030762. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Garner D. M., Olmsted M. P., Bohr Y., Garfinkel P. E. The eating attitudes test: psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol Med. 1982 Nov;12(4):871–878. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700049163. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hart K. J., Ollendick T. H. Prevalence of bulimia in working and university women. Am J Psychiatry. 1985 Jul;142(7):851–854. doi: 10.1176/ajp.142.7.851. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hawkins R. C., 2nd, Clement P. F. Development and construct validation of a self-report measure of binge eating tendencies. Addict Behav. 1980;5(3):219–226. doi: 10.1016/0306-4603(80)90042-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Joseph A., Wood I. K., Goldberg S. C. Determining populations at risk for developing anorexia nervosa based on selection of college major. Psychiatry Res. 1982 Aug;7(1):53–58. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(82)90052-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mann A. H., Wakeling A., Wood K., Monck E., Dobbs R., Szmukler G. Screening for abnormal eating attitudes and psychiatric morbidity in an unselected population of 15-year-old schoolgirls. Psychol Med. 1983 Aug;13(3):573–580. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700047991. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pope H. G., Jr, Hudson J. I., Yurgelun-Todd D. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia among 300 suburban women shoppers. Am J Psychiatry. 1984 Feb;141(2):292–294. doi: 10.1176/ajp.141.2.292. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]