Association of socioeconomic status, problem behaviors, and disordered eating in Mexican adolescents: results of the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006.

PURPOSE: To explore the association of socioeconomic status (SES) with disordered eating behaviors (DEB) in Mexican adolescents, and the coexistence of DEB and other problem behaviors.

METHODS

Information about adolescents (10-19 years) was retrieved from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 database. Associations were evaluated through ordinal regression.

RESULTS

Higher SES was associated with DEB (odds ratio [OR]: 2.05, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.52-2.75). Use of tobacco (OR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.58-2.81), alcohol (OR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.51-2.56), and suicide intent (OR: 5.13, 95% CI: 3.46-7.60) were associated with DEB.

CONCLUSION

DEB were more frequent among adolescents from higher SES households. The lack of association between SES and DEB reported by other studies might be because of the lack of variability in samples. The association of DEB and other problem behaviors highlights the importance of an integral approach to teenagers' mental health.