Appraisal of Eating Disorders in Females of Reproductive Age by Using Scoff Questionnaire

Abstract

Background: Unhealthy, jumbled eating habits and irregular eating behavior, often associated with body image and weight concerns, are known as abnormal eating behaviors. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders are common disordered eating behaviors. Females are more likely than males to experience eating disorders. Objective: The research was conducted to determine the frequency of eating disorders in women of reproductive age group and identify the factors associated with it. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study carried out at Central Park Medical College, Lahore. Non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to collect data from 196 females of the reproductive age group (15-49 years) using the Scoff Questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was applied to observe the association of eating disorders with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). SPSS version 26 was used for data analysis. Results: About 82.8% of the females belonged to urban areas and out of those 44.5% had an eating disorder. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of developing eating disorders were 85% high for obese women. Approximately 12.6% of the females agreed or strongly agreed that they overeat. Overeating was observed as a statistically significant associated factor with eating disorder (p value=0.048). Conclusion: Approximately 45.5% of the females were identified as either having anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Females living in cities and nuclear family systems had a higher percentage of eating disorders.