Eating disorder symptomatology: Comparative study between Mexican and Canadian university women

Abstract

The objectives of this study were: (1) to compare Mexican and Canadian university students regarding disordered eating behaviors (DEB), body thin-ideal internalization (BTHIN), and body image dissatisfaction (BID); and (2) to examine the relationship of these three variables to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). This cross-cultural study was carried out in a sample of 129 university women students aged from 18 to 25 years (M=20.18, SD=1.59): 52% were Canadian (Moncton University [MU]) and 48% were Mexican (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo [UAEH]). The Brief Questionnaire for Disordered Eating Behaviors and Attitudes Towards Body Figure Questionnaire were applied while the BID was evaluated using a continuum of nine silhouettes. In addition, the weight, height and WC of each participant were recorded. Mexican students had greater values of overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity and DEB, with 4.6 times greater risk than UM students. In contrast, the presence of BTHIN and BID was similar between samples. Considering these findings, women from at least two different ethnic groups are vulnerable to the development of eating disorder symptomatology.