Disturbed eating attitudes among male and female undergraduate medical students at a tertiary center, Telangana

Abstract

Introduction: Eating attitude can simply be defined as the beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward food, whereas disturbed eating approach is defined as an eating behavior that does not permit the diagnosis of an eating disorder. Problematic eating attempts in both male and female populations have now become a global debate. In research, body mass and weight concerns, dissatisfaction with one's current appearance, depression anxiety, stress, and social pressures have all been found as common facilitating variables of problematic eating habits among college students.Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the disturbed eating attitude among male and female medical undergraduates from a tertiary medical center, Telangana.Materials and Methods: This was a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study. The duration of the study was from January to June 2021. Eating Attitude Test based on 26 items (EAT-26) was adapted to Google Forms and circulated among undergraduate medical students from a tertiary hospital center, Telangana.Results: Male and female medical students were compared in terms of their disturbed eating attitudes in this study. The EAT was used to determine whether or not a person's eating habits were disturbed. The t-test was used to conduct the statistical analysis, which revealed that male students have a more disturbed eating attitude than female students. This shows that disturbed eating behaviors are no longer limited to women but are now impacting men as well. To prevent its spread, educational institutions should monitor the dangers that have occurred in their pupils and encourage them to adopt good eating habits.Conclusion: Thus, it can be concluded from the result of the current study that male undergraduates are more prone toward disturbed eating habits than female undergraduates. The findings of this study can assist guidance counselors, general public, students, parents, and academic institutions in dealing with eating disorders, particularly in preventing it from the severity level.