Frequência de comportamentos de risco para transtornos alimentares entre universitários

Abstract

Admission to university can trigger changes in students' lifestyles, including the adoption of negative behaviors related to eating. Objective: To identify the frequency of risk behaviors for eating disorders (ED) among university students and associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1,038 students from a Public University of Cuiabá-MT, aged between 16 and 25 years. To collect data, a self-filling questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were used. The observed frequency distributions (%) were calculated and the chi-square test was used, considering the significance level of 5%, to evaluate the association of the ED risk behaviors with the independent variables. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Júlio Muller University Hospital of the Federal University of Mato Grosso, under the nº 1,006,048, dated March 31, 2015. Results: Among the participants, 50.96% were males, 78.8% were aged between 16 and 19 years old, 40.2% declared themselves white-skinned, 69.5% lived with their parents or relatives and 48.5% were from social class B. Excess weight was observed in 23.4% of the students. The frequency of risk behaviors for ED was 18.4%, higher among women (26.7 vs. 10.4%, p <0.01), and among those who were overweight (30.0% vs. 14.9%, p <0.01). Conclusion: The frequency of risk behaviors for ED was high among college students, being higher among women and in overweight individuals.