Title:Prevalence and Risk Factors of Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors Among High-school Girls in Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia
VOLUME: 16 ISSUE: 5
Author(s):Awad M. Al-Qahtani* and Lamees M. Al-Harbi
Affiliation:Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Najran University, Najran, Family Medicine, Post-graduate Studies of Family Medicine Program in Al-Madinah, Ministry of Health, Al-Madinah
Keywords:Adolescents, binge eating behavior, body weight, disordered eating attitude, obesity, secondary school students.
Abstract:
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors
among high-school girls in Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Al-Madinah city in 2014-15. A multi-
stage random sampling technique was adopted to include female students of government secondary
schools. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and socio-economical questionnaires were used in the
study for assessing the prevalence of disordered eating. All data were entered and analyzed using
SPSS version 20.
Results: Overweight and obesity were reported among 11.2% and 5.6% of them, respectively,
whereas 31.3% of the participants were underweight. The overall prevalence of disordered eating
attitudes among female students was 42.5%. This rate was significantly higher among younger
(≤16 years old) and those of the first scholastic level than others. The rate of disordered eating
attitude was reported at a higher rate among obese students (59.1%) than underweight (41.5%) and
normal students (42.4%). The commonest reported disordered eating behavior was self-reported
binge eating behaviour (25.2%), followed by self-induced vomiting (8.7%) and the use of laxatives/
diuretics to control weight (6.1%).
Conclusion: The findings show a high prevalence of disordered eating attitude among high school
female students in Al-Madinah city. Younger girls and those of the first scholastic level showed
higher disordered eating attitude.
