INTRODUCTION

Eating disorders (ED) are a group of severe disorders related to eating behaviour, caused by excessive concern over body image and the acute fear of weight gain due to an understood correlation between certain body types and social and professional success. The consequences of these disorders are manifested as physical, psychological, and social imbalances in the those who suffer from said disorders.

The etiology of these disorders is multifactorial; several factors interact and cause a significant functional and structural complexity. Amongst these factors are genetic factors, body changes, social pressure, vulnerability, body dissatisfaction, diets, depression, low self-esteem, and so on. This is to say, several biogenetic factors, vulnerability factors, psychological characteristics, socio-cultural aspects, stressors, etc. ^{1 2}.

ED normally begins during adolescence, although observations indicate a rising trend in the frequency of ED onset during adult or childhood years³.

There is a large amount of fluctuation with the data regarding ED prevalence. The data for Spain is considered to be similar to that of other industrialized nations, in which anorexia nervosa reaches levels between 0.1% and 1.5%, bulimia nervosa between 1% and 3%, and Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) reach between 1.6% and 5%^4,1.

The highest percentage of these disorders is found amongst young adults, the age group including university student population. Regarding sex, the ratio of female to male students is higher, although the percentage of male students is progressively increasing.

In reference to ED amongst the Spanish university students, we highlight some data from the research carried out by García, Solbes, Expósito, and Navarro⁵:

After analyzing these results, the authors urge the importance of creating prevention programs aimed at university students.

Within this group, certain studies whose results reveal high rates of problems related to eating disorders and body image amongst students preparing for careers in education must be highlighted^{9 10}.

Research in this field underscores the necessity for this group of future teachers to increase their knowledge and develop positive attitudes regarding weight, personal image, and diet, since they will be teaching future citizens¹¹.

Our objective is to contribute data concerning the prevalence of risks of suffering eating disorders amongst a significant group of students from the University of Extremadura in Spain.

METHODOLOGY

RESULTS

The descriptive analysis shows us the differences of these risk factors for EDs by sex (Graphic 1,Table 2).

Graphic 1. Average scores across the three scales (DT, B, BD) by sex amongst university students in Extremadura. 

Table 1. Percentages across the three scales of the EDI-3RF, by sex, amongst university students from Extremadura. 

The inferential analysis is carried out thereafter. In this case, the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test is used.

A p < 0.05 is obtained on the three scales from said non-parametric analysis.

This indicates to us that with a 95% confidence level, there are statistically significant differences between male and female university students from Extremadura in the three dimensions of the EDI-3 RF.

Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction are significantly higher in females, and Bulimia is significantly higher in the males of our sample.

3. In our sample, there are significant differences in DT, B, and BD between students studying university degrees related to education (Preschool, Primary Education), and those who are not preparing for teaching.

Graphic 2andTable 3show the results of the average scores across the three dimensions of the EDI-3 RF. The students whose degrees are related to education show higher scores in Drive for Thinness, Bulimia, and in Body Dissatisfaction.

Graphic 2. Average scores for DT, B, and BD for future teacher and non-teacher university students in Extremadura. 

Subsequently, to confirm this hypothesis we again utilise the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test.

The results indicate a p > 0.05 value for Bulimia (B) with a 95% confidence level. This means that the scores are statistically similar in both groups in this case (Table 4).

Table 4. Mann-Whitney U Test for future teachers, future non-teachers / DT, B, BD. 

Conversely, in regards to Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction, there are statistically significant differences obtained between the averages of the data across these two dimensions when comparing future teachers and those not studying education.

DISCUSSION

A higher rate of Drive for Thinness (DT) is exhibited in women. This was already stated by Lameiras, Calado, Rodríguez, and Fernández⁸in a study conducted with university students from Galicia, Spain, in which they observed a greater concern for weight and body image amongst women.

In our study, 40% of women score above the cutoff point on the DT scale at which point their Drive for Thinness must be considered a risk factor for ED. Less than half of the men manifest these characteristics (17%). This is a high percentage when compared to the results obtained by García et al.⁵, who used the same instrument (EDI-3 RF) with Psychology and Education students from the Complutense University of Madrid. Their results stated that 11.9% of men and 29.9% of women were included in this “high risk” group on the first scale (DT).

Likewise, women show a higher rate of Body Dissatisfaction (BD), with 48% of them beyond the cutoff point, compared to 27% of men. Other authors^{8 18}have already stated that women express a higher dissatisfaction with their physique than men. García et al.⁵also affirms that: “girls show more negative attitudes towards their body image (on the emotional, behavioural and perceptive levels), greater body dissatisfaction, and a higher drive for thinness than their male counterparts” (translated from p. 42).

In regards to the Bulimia scale, the rates are worse for men. 42% of them, compared to 32% of women, are past the cutoff point at which point it is considered necessary to refer them to a more in-depth study in order to determine if there is a risk of an eating disorder. This confirms the results obtained by García et al.⁵regarding the higher rates of characteristics of bulimia amongst men, whereas previous studies had shown that rates of bulimia were higher in women^{8 18}. We then ask ourselves the same question already put forth by these authors: Are the nutritional habits of our young university students changing, or is it due to varying methods of evaluation?

We encountered significant differences regarding Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction between the students whose degrees prepare them for teaching and those whose degrees do not. This affirmation can be explained by the high rates of females that study education degrees at the University of Extremadura. The higher rates of women compared to men who score above the cutoff points on these two scales have been previously mentioned above. This result also confirms the non-significant differences regarding characteristics of bulimia that, on the other hand, we indicated being higher amongst men. We find it necessary to continue doing research along these lines in order to better determine risk factors for university students, especially future teachers, and to ensure the development of attitudes and behaviours that encourage healthy lifestyles¹⁹, knowing that training and caring for citizens in the near future rests in their hands^{5 20}.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a high percentage of university students from Extremadura at risk for ED. The risk factors for these disorders are higher amongst female students in the sample, who show more Drive for Thinness, and a greater Body Dissatisfaction than male students. Male students, however, display greater risks of Bulimia. The three dimensions of Body Dissatisfaction that were studied are higher in women. Those dimensions consist of the emotional, the behavioral, and the perceptive.

Those students who are enrolled in degrees related to education exhibit more risk factors for ED than the students enrolled in other type of degrees. In the opposite situation are the health degrees in particular the nursing students, possibly as a result of a greater bio health knowledge caused.

Consequently, the students with degrees related to education show higher levels of Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction than the students whose degrees are not related to education, with no differences in reference to Bulimia