Prevalence of Disordered Eating Attitudes among University Students in Wuhu, China.

OBJECTIVE the purpose of this study is to assess the current status of disordered eating attitudes and its related factors among University students in Anhui province, and to provide a basis for health intervention. METHODS this is a cross-sectional study. The University students admitted to the routine health exams were included in current study, and completed self-administered questionnaires which consist of general information and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). An EAT-26 score of 20 or higher indicated that a person has disordered eating attitudes. Data were analyzed using the SPSS13.0 software. RESULTS a total of 1 328 subjects (469 male and 859 female), aged 16-24 years from a university in Wuhu were enrolled in this study. In our survey, the proportion of disordered eating attitudes among male, female, total students were 5.3%, 4.0% and 4.5%, respectively. The proportion of disordered eating attitudes among the students whose family annual income < 10000 RMB, 10,000-30,000 RMB, 30,000-60,000 RMB and > 60,000 were 4.2%, 3.9%, 4.3% and 6.9%, respectively. An interesting finding was that the female students are more likely to have disordered eating attitudes if their parents have more education. CONCLUSIONS our research reveals that the current status of disordered eating attitudes in Anhui province is relatively low. Parents' education level may be related to eating attitudes among University students. It is essential to increase awareness and understanding of eating disorders and its associated risk factors in University students whose parents have higher education.