Screening Eating Disorders Among Female High School Students in Makkah City: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Introduction: Eating disorders (EDs) are defined as disturbances in health and psychosocial functioning. They are more predominant in young and adult women and can start at an early age and continue into adulthood. These types of mental illnesses can be prevented with proper training. However, there is a significant lack of understanding of EDs among teachers. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence rates of EDs among female high school students in Makkah city. Methods: We surveyed 384 female students from high schools in Makkah city in this cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire adapted from a previously published study after translating it into Arabic. Results: Most of the students had suffered an ED (n=211, 54.4%), while 45.6% had not. There was an insignificant relation between the frequency of EDs and participants’ age, nationality, family history of ED, and awareness of EDs (P-value, 0.158, 0.486, 0.671, and 0.718, respectively). Conclusion: Further studies are needed to evaluate the understanding of EDs among the general population as well as assess the prevalence rates of EDs among larger female populations.