{"title":"Characteristics of Malaysian 16-year-old girls who reported regular binge eating episodes and the associated risk factors: a descriptive study.","authors":"Yi-Ting Tang, Jia Xian Liew, Weng-Tink Chooi","doi":"10.1515/ijamh-2023-0064","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Adolescents may suffer from binge eating (BE), that refers to consuming a large amount of food in a short period of time and accompanied by feelings of loss of control (LOC) over eating. This study compared the prevalence of BE between 16-year-old Malaysian girls from two types of public schools, Malay-English-medium and Chinese-Malay-English-medium schools. Additionally, this study identified associated risk factors of those who presented regular BE episodes, including LOC eating, anxiety, body mass index (BMI), body dissatisfaction (BD) and eating disorders (EDs) psychopathology.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>398 participants completed self-reports assessing BE symptoms, LOC eating, state anxiety, trait anxiety, EDs psychopathology, and BD. They also reported heights and weights. Descriptive statistics, <i>t</i>-tests, chi-square tests, and <i>Z</i>-test for independent proportions were conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There was no significant difference in either the prevalence of BE or EDs psychopathology between participants from the two types of schools. 71 (17.8 %) participants reported moderate-to-severe symptoms of BE, and 46 (11.6 %) reported moderate-to-severe levels of LOC eating. Those who reported moderate-to-severe symptoms of BE reported significantly higher levels of LOC eating, BD, drive to be thinner, BMI, state anxiety, and EDs psychopathology, compared to those who reported none-to-minimal BE.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>BE and LOC eating appeared to be relatively common among secondary school girls in Malaysia. The relatively high prevalence of BE amongst adolescents in our sample highlighted the importance of early identification of signs for BE as preventive measures from developing EDs psychopathology among children and adolescents. We propose that attitudes towards eating and body image-related concerns should be included in school screenings aimed at preventing psychological problems in minors.</p>","PeriodicalId":13823,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health","volume":" ","pages":"411-422"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2023-0064","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/10/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: Adolescents may suffer from binge eating (BE), that refers to consuming a large amount of food in a short period of time and accompanied by feelings of loss of control (LOC) over eating. This study compared the prevalence of BE between 16-year-old Malaysian girls from two types of public schools, Malay-English-medium and Chinese-Malay-English-medium schools. Additionally, this study identified associated risk factors of those who presented regular BE episodes, including LOC eating, anxiety, body mass index (BMI), body dissatisfaction (BD) and eating disorders (EDs) psychopathology.
Methods: 398 participants completed self-reports assessing BE symptoms, LOC eating, state anxiety, trait anxiety, EDs psychopathology, and BD. They also reported heights and weights. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square tests, and Z-test for independent proportions were conducted.
Results: There was no significant difference in either the prevalence of BE or EDs psychopathology between participants from the two types of schools. 71 (17.8 %) participants reported moderate-to-severe symptoms of BE, and 46 (11.6 %) reported moderate-to-severe levels of LOC eating. Those who reported moderate-to-severe symptoms of BE reported significantly higher levels of LOC eating, BD, drive to be thinner, BMI, state anxiety, and EDs psychopathology, compared to those who reported none-to-minimal BE.
Conclusions: BE and LOC eating appeared to be relatively common among secondary school girls in Malaysia. The relatively high prevalence of BE amongst adolescents in our sample highlighted the importance of early identification of signs for BE as preventive measures from developing EDs psychopathology among children and adolescents. We propose that attitudes towards eating and body image-related concerns should be included in school screenings aimed at preventing psychological problems in minors.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health (IJAMH) provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of new information in the field of adolescence. IJAMH is a peer-reviewed journal that covers all aspects of adolescence. Manuscripts will be reviewed from disciplines all over the world. The International Editorial Board is dedicated to producing a high quality scientific journal of interest to researchers and practitioners from many disciplines. Topics Medicine and Clinical Medicine Health issues Adolescents Hygiene and Environmental Medicine.