Eating disorders risk behavior in Brazilian female university students

Background: Risk behavior for eating disorders enrolled inadequate practices and attitudes with food and weight control and could be evaluated with valid instruments. Objectives: To evaluate risk behaviors for eating disorders among Brazilian female university students from different regions. Methods: 2.483 college students filled out the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) at five regions in Brazil. The test score was compared among regions by chi-square test and possible associations or correlations with major, age, nutritional status, individual income and parental education evaluated by Pearson and Spearman coefficients. A covariance analysis compared the EAT scores among regions. Results: The frequency of positive eating disorder behavior ranges from 23.7% to 30.1% among five regions. There was no difference in EAT scores among regions, and there was not strong correlation between EAT scores and the variables studied. Discussion: Brazilian female university students have high frequency of risk behaviors for eating disorders in all regions of the country. Prevention strategies must be developed for the young female population of Brazil.