Eating disorders and associated risk factors among Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal university preparatory year female students in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of eating disorders among Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University (IAU) in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, female students and to investigate the associated factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at IAU, Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in 2016 with 670 participants. Data was collected by self-administered questionnaires, including the Eating attitude test 26 (EAT-26) and the sociocultural attitudes toward appearance questionnaire (SATAQ-4). Eating behavior questions were asked to determine whether the respondents should seek evaluation for an eating disorder (ED) from a professional. RESULTS: Eating attitude test 26 results showed that 29.4% of participants were categorized at a high level of concern for an ED, and 45.5% were categorized as at risk of having problematic feeding behaviors. Of the participants who scored above 20 on the EAT-26, 60.7% demonstrated high-risk feeding behavior attitudes, and approximately 11.5% who scored a body mass index (BMI) classified as underweight or very underweight required referral to a psychologist. A significant relationship was found between family stress to lose weight and EAT-26 scores above 20. The media was also found to represent external influence to lose weight. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that early detection of EDs or problematic feeding behaviors and attitude is vital to minimize the risks to physical health and well-being of the sufferers’ experiences.