Symptoms of eating disorders in medical students

Abstract

Objective: this study aimed to evaluate the symptoms of eating disorders in medical students at Centro Universitário Christus. Methods: the study was carried out with fourth-semester medical students. A sociodemographic and anthropometric questionnaire was used, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) instruments; Binge Eating Scale (BES); and Sick Control One Stone Fat Food Questionnaire (SCOFF). Results: 78 students participated in the study, 54 of whom were female (69.23%). The mean age of the participants was 22 (±4.7) years and the mean BMI was 24.33 (±4.11) kg/m2. As for the SCOFF, 38.46% of the participants had a high probability of having an eating disorder, 14.10% had a high risk of developing eating disorders according to the EAT-26, and 12.82% had scores suggestive of the presence of moderate binge eating using BES. Conclusion: eating disorders and altered eating behaviors were identified among medical students. Thus, health education and psychological support interventions are needed for this population, aiming to reduce the risk of developing eating disorders.