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Eating Attitudes, Weight Control Behaviors, Body Image Satisfaction and Depression Level Among Indian Medical and Nursing Undergraduate Students

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Abstract

This was a cross sectional descriptive study carried out among Medical and Nursing students to assess the presence of eating disorders. Data was collected using self administered ‘Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food’ (SCOFF) and ‘Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26)’ questionnaires. It was found that 34.1% and 10.4% of the participants were at high risk to suffer from eating disorders on SCOFF and EAT-26 scales. Further, age, gender and education found to have significant association on SCOFF and EAT-26 scores (p < 0.05). Thus, the findings suggest the need for effective interventions to prevent depression and eating disorders among the future health professionals.

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Vijayalakshmi, P., Thimmaiah, R., Gandhi, S. et al. Eating Attitudes, Weight Control Behaviors, Body Image Satisfaction and Depression Level Among Indian Medical and Nursing Undergraduate Students. Community Ment Health J 54, 1266–1273 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-0333-x

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