Drive for muscularity and disordered eating behaviors and its relationship with anthropometric indicators and physical activity in Mexican adolescent men.

PURPOSE

Adolescent men have been identified as a risk population to develop eating disorders and other psychopathologies as drive for muscularity (DM) recently considered as muscularity-oriented disordered eating. It is important to identify risk factors as precursors of these pathologies. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of developing disordered eating behaviors (DEB) and DM and its relationship with anthropometric indicators and physical activity (PA) in adolescent men (high-school students, age 15-19) from Hidalgo, Mexico.

METHODS

A cross sectional, descriptive, and correlational field study was carried out in a non-probabilistic sample of 267 Mexican adolescents aged 15-19 years. Participants completed measures of DM, DEB, and PA. Each subject was weighted and heighted to calculate body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and fat-free mass index (FFMI).

RESULTS

Adolescents in the DM risk category (OR 8.28, CI 2.71-25.22) had significantly greater odds of developing DEB, while adolescents with higher BMI scores (OR 1.28, CI 1.14-1.45) tended to be more likely of developing DEB. The results showed that DEB and moderate PA were associated with DM; adolescents who engaged in DEB had an 8.64 times (CI 3.05-24.52) higher risk of developing DM. Participants classified in the category of highest moderate PA (OR 2.66, CI 1.26-5.59) had significantly greater odds of developing DM.

CONCLUSION

Important percentages of the risk of developing DEB and DM were determined in Mexican adolescent men. In agreement with other findings, there were no associations between anthropometric indicators and DM.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

V, descriptive cross-sectional study.