Abstract

Medical students appear to be a high-risk group to develop psychological problems including eating disorders (ED). The prevalence estimates of ED risk vary greatly between studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis was done to estimate the prevalence of ED risk among medical students. An electronic search of EMBASE, MEDLINE, ProQuest and Google Scholar was conducted. Studies that reported the prevalence of ED risk among medical students and were published in English peer-reviewed journals between 1982 and 2017 were included. Information about study characteristics and the prevalence of ED risk were extracted by four investigators. Each article was reviewed independently by at least two investigators. Estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis using the DerSimonian-Laird method. The main outcome of interest was the prevalence of ED risk in medical students. The prevalence of ED risk among medical students was extracted from nineteen cross-sectional studies across nine countries (total participants n = 5722). The overall pooled prevalence rate of ED risk was 10.4% (497/5722 students, 95% CI 7.8-13.0%), with statistically significant evidence between-study heterogeneity (Q = 295, τ2 = 0.003, I2 = 94.0%, P < 0.001). Prevalence estimates between studies ranged from 2.2 to 29.1%. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the summary prevalence of ED risk among medical students was 10.4%. Further research is needed to identify and prevent ED in this population. Studies are also needed to investigate concurrent pathologies associated with ED risk. Level I, systematic review and meta-analysis.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.