Prevalence and characteristics of eating disorders among college students of a nonmetro city of Gujarat.

CONTEXT: There is a relative paucity of prevalence data about eating disorders (EDs) in India among young population.

AIMS: We aimed to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of EDs and abnormal eating behaviors among college students of a nonmetro city of Gujarat.

SETTING AND

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey was done among five colleges of a nonmetro city in Gujarat from February to September 2019.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

Total 790 college students were assessed using a semi-structured format, Eating Attitudes Test-26, and Bulimic Investigatory Test Edinburgh followed by structured clinical interview as per DSM-5 criteria for EDs.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Outcomes were expressed in frequency, proportion, mean, and standard deviation. P values were calculated by Pearson Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test to determine the significance of the result.

RESULTS

The prevalence of abnormal eating behaviors was 25.2% (n = 199). Anorexia nervosa (AN) was not detected. The prevalence of bulimia nervosa (BN) was 0.2% and other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) was 0.6%. "Being aware of calorie content" (53.7%) and "preoccupation with desire of thinness" (46.3%) were commonly found. "Impulse to vomit after meals" (2.5%) was least common. Lower body mass index was found among subjects with abnormal eating behavior. None of the subjects had amenorrhea.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of disordered eating behaviors, BN, and OSFED was 25.2%, 0.2%, and 0.6%, respectively. AN was not detected. OSFED was the most common ED and the characteristic "body image disturbance" was the most common symptom.