Frequency of family meals and risk of eating disorders in adolescents in Spain and Peru

Abstract

espanolResumen La prevalencia de los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria en Espana se encuentra entre 0.27 % y 6.41% y en Peru entre el 7.3% y el 11.4%. Se dispone de numerosas investigaciones sobre los factores de riesgo para estos trastornos, pero escasos estudios han analizado posibles factores protectores, como las comidas familiares, en muestras jovenes que incluyan participantes de diferentes paises. Este articulo analiza la contribucion de la frecuencia de las comidas familiares sobre el riesgo de trastornos de conducta alimentaria en una muestra de adolescentes (n = 916, edad media de 14.6 anos, rango de edad 12 a 17 anos) procedentes de Espana y Peru. Los principales resultados mostraron un doble parametro de interaccion entre el sexo y el origen de los participantes con la frecuencia de las comidas familiares: el riesgo de estos trastornos se modifica especificamente en mujeres y adolescentes nacidos en Espana. Estas evidencias empiricas sugieren que el sexo y las diferencias culturales podrian estar influyendo en los desordenes alimentarios durante la etapa adolescente y podrian actuar moderando el impacto del riesgo y los factores protectores de la patologia alimentaria. Se recomienda ampliar la investigacion sobre la contribucion de las comidas familiares en el riesgo de los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria en adolescentes considerando posibles diferencias culturales con el fin de disenar programas de prevencion e intervencion mas eficientes. EnglishAbstract The prevalence of eating disorders is between 0.27% and 6.41% in Spain and between 7.3% and 11.4% in Peru. Much research has been focused on the study of the main risk factors for eating disorders, but little is known about the potential protective factors (such as family meals) in samples of young people that include participants from different countries. This study estimates the contribution of the frequency of family meals on the risk for eating disorders in a large sample of adolescents recruited in Spain and Peru (n=916, with a mean age of 14.6 years old and age range of 12 to 17 years old). Results showed a double interaction parameter between the participants' sex and origin with the frequency of family meals: the risk for eating disorders is modified specifically for girls from both countries, and adolescents of both sexes born in Spain. This empirical evidence suggests that sex and cultural differences could be related to disordered eating patterns during adolescence and so could act as moderators for the impact of risk and protective factors for this clinical condition. The study of the contribution of the frequency of family meals on the risk of eating disorders in young people should take cultural differences into consideration with the aim of designing more targeted prevention and intervention programs.