Eating Disorders and Body Mass Index among Adolescents in Tabriz and Urmia

Abstract

Background: Perceived socio-cultural pressure to be thin has an important impact on disordered eating during early and middle adolescence, but less is known about late adolescence. Adolescents face special problems which are less common during childhood. Several studies indicate that the prevalence of eating disorders has increased among adolescents. Objective: The aim of the present study is to investigate the occurrence, prevalence, and correlates of eating disorders(ED) among adolescents in two cities of Iran: Uremia and Tabriz. Materials and Methods: Present study is a cross-sectional survey in which 1990 adolescent boys and girls were selected through multi-stage random sampling. The study is based on self-report questionnaires, including the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT_26) and DSM-IV criteria for the presence of eating disorders. To analyze the obtained data we calculated measures of central tendency and dispersion, linear and logistic regression, and Fisher’s exact test. Results: The results show according to diagnostic criteria of EAT-26, 492 students (24.2%) were at risk of ED and scored above the recommended cut-off point on EAT_26. Among 1990 students, a total of 51 cases (0.25%) of eating disorder (14 anorexia nervosa, 18 bulimia nervosa, and 19 eating disorder not otherwise specified) were diagnosed. Conclusions: The obtained prevalence of ED in our study was higher than previous studies in Iran. We found high numbers of boys with ED. Overweight adolescents were shown to be more susceptible to strict dieting than normal-weight adolescents. These results suggest that it is necessary to provide screening and treatment services for Iranian adolescents. Further research is needed to develop intervention programs to control eating disorders among Iranian adolescents.