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Epidemiology of eating disordered symptoms in the Korean general population using a Korean version of the Eating Attitudes Test

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Abstract

Objective: The purposes of the present study were to estimate the proportion of subjects with a high score on the Korean version of Eating Attitudes Test-26 (KEAT-26), which may provide preliminary data regarding the prevalence rate of eating disorders in the Korean general population, and to further examine the sociocultural hypothesis of eating disorders. Method: Using a multi-stage questionnaire sampling method, we surveyed 3062 subjects (1249 males, 1813 females) from 3896 Korean adults in a nationwide area. Results: 8.5% (260/3062) of subjects scored above the cut-off on the KEAT-26. Their demographic correlates, eating traits, and other characteristics relating to general psychopathology were similar to those of patients with eating disorders and female Caucasian controls in Western countries. Discussion: These results suggest that changes in various sociocultural aspects have increased the risk of developing eating disorders in Korea, and support the sociocultural hypothesis of eating disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Paik Hospital, 85, 2-ka, Jur-dong, Chung-ku, Seoul, Korea, (100-032)

    Young Ho Lee, Y. C. Chung & M. Oliosi

  2. Department of Clinical Psychology, Seoul National Mental Hospital, Seoul, Korea

    M. K. Rhee

  3. Jinju Mental Hospital, Jinju, Korea

    S. H. Park

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Kil Hospital, Incheon, Korea

    C. H. Sohn

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  1. Young Ho Lee
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  2. M. K. Rhee
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  6. S. K. Hong
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  7. B. K. Lee
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  8. P. Chang
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  9. A. R. Yoon
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Lee, Y.H., Rhee, M.K., Park, S.H. et al. Epidemiology of eating disordered symptoms in the Korean general population using a Korean version of the Eating Attitudes Test. Eat Weight Disord 3, 153–161 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340004

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