Prevalence of risk behaviors and conducts associated with eating disorders in college students

With the purpose of knowing the prevalence of risk factors and behaviors associated to eating disorders in college students, a cross-sectional analyses was used in a population of first year students of medicine from the medical school of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Socioeconomic, weight and height data were obtained through survey to calculate BMI, the body image perception and EAT-26 instruments were applied. A total of 742 college students were studied, 35% were males and 65% females. The risk behaviors associated to eating disorders had a prevalence of 5.8%, of which 38 cases were females (POR = 4.4; CI 95% 1.6-12.9; p<0.05). Among the risk behaviors associated to eating disorders, 9.7% of the students presented binge eating events (POR=4.7; CI95%  2.2-9.9; p<0.05), 5.6% presented vomits (POR=11.6; CI95% 5.2-25.8; p<0.05) and 5.6% presented laxative use (POR= 7.4; CI95% 3.2-17.0; p<0.05). This study showed that college students are exposed to the risk variables that characterize younger population groups like high school students, so they require health education activities.