Prevalence of eating disorders among students at the University of Jordan

Abstract EN

The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of psychological factors for developing Eating Disorders (EDs) among students of the University of Jordan and its relationship to gender, year of study, and family residence.

Methods: The 40-item Eating Attitude Test - Jordanian Version (EAT-40-JOV) was applied to N=4565 participants, ages 18 to 22 years, from the 18 colleges that comprise the university.

Test-retest reliability of the scale was 0.85 and internal consistency via Cronbach's Alpha was 0.94.

The scale validity was measured by construct validity, where loading of items on extracted factors agreed with the original version.

Results: Findings indicated that total prevalence of students at risk for developing and eating disorder was 14.2% (n=178).

The total prevalence of EDs among women and men was 15.7% and 10.6%, respectively.

Results suggest that students from urban areas were at significantly higher risk of developing an eating disorder than students from rural areas.

Conclusion: The current study raises awareness about the importance of screening young people in Jordan for EDs; however, further research is needed.

The EAT-40-JOV as a possible screening tool must be considered alongside observations that certain statements within it may lack cultural validity.