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Assessment of binge eating behavior, body shape concerns, and associated factors among female adolescents of Northern Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Research Authors
Ahmed M Alhuwaydi, Ayidh Muflih Alqahtani, Razan Saud Alsadun, Ohud Saud Alruwaili, Ashokkumar Thirunavukkarasu, Doaa Mazen Abdel-Salam, Yousef Salman A Alanazi, Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud Al-Huwaidi, Rakan Mohammed Ahmed Alhuwaydi
Research Date
Research Journal
Nutrients
Research Member
Research Publisher
MDPI
Research Rank
دولي
Research Vol
16(18)
Research Website
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/18/3082
Research Year
2024
Research_Pages
15
Research Abstract

Globally, binge eating behavior has emerged as a significant public health concern, especially among female adolescents. Body shape concerns in female adolescents can lead to body dissatisfaction and other mental health issues. Using a cross-sectional study design, we evaluated the frequency of binge eating behavior, body shape concerns, and associated factors among 400 female adolescents. We utilized a pretested Arabic binge eating scale (BES) and a body shape questionnaire—shorter version (BSQ-8C) to collect the required data. We performed Spearman’s correlation analysis to find the strength and direction of the correlation between the BES and BSQ-8C scores. Finally, we applied binomial logistic regression analysis to identify the predictors of body shape concerns. Of the studied participants, 5.5% and 6.2% had medium and severe binge eating behavior. We found a significant positive correlation between the BES and BSQ-8C scores (rho = 0.434, p < 0.001). Also, we found that body shape concerns were significantly higher among the monthly family income category of 5000 to 7000 SAR (p = 0.005), the severe binge eating categories (p = 0.009), and obese adolescents (p = 0.001). The present study results can be applied to the development of focused interventions and strategies to address these concerns in this group