Publication: Risk of disordered eating attitudes and its relation to mental health among university students in ASEAN
Issued Date
2018-06-01
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ISSN
15901262
11244909
11244909
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2-s2.0-85045766567
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Mahidol University
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Eating and Weight Disorders. Vol.23, No.3 (2018), 349-355
Suggested Citation
Supa Pengpid, Karl Peltzer Risk of disordered eating attitudes and its relation to mental health among university students in ASEAN. Eating and Weight Disorders. Vol.23, No.3 (2018), 349-355. doi:10.1007/s40519-018-0507-0 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/46627
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Title
Risk of disordered eating attitudes and its relation to mental health among university students in ASEAN
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Abstract
© 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature. Purpose: Since there is a lack of information on eating disorders attitudes in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of eating disorder attitude and its relation to mental distress among university student populations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey and anthropometric measurement were conducted with undergraduate university students that were randomly recruited. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) was utilized to determine the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes. The sample included 3148 university students, with a mean age of 20.5 years, SD = 1.6. Results: Using the EAT-26, 11.5% of the students across all countries were classified as being at risk for an eating disorder, ranging from below 10% in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam to 13.8% in Malaysia and 20.6% in Myanmar. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, sociodemographic factors (wealthier subjective economic status, and living in a lower middle income country), underweight and overweight body weight perception, psychological factors (depression symptoms and pathological internet use), and being obese were associated with eating disorder risk. Conclusions: Relatively high rates of eating disorder risk were found. This result calls for increased awareness, understanding of eating disorders and related risk factors and interventions in university students in ASEAN. Level of evidence: Level V, descriptive cross-sectional survey.