Saleem Tamkeen, Saleem Shemaila, Shoib Sheikh, Shah Jaffer, Ali Syeda Ayat-E-Zainab
Department of Psychology, International Islamic University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan.
Department of Physiology, Federal Medical and Dental College, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan.
J Eat Disord. 2022 May 21;10(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s40337-022-00589-8.
In Pakistan, for a decade or so, there has been a huge increase in body ideals, and thinness and eating disorders reported during pregnancy. The purpose of the present research was to study the lived experiences and behaviors characterized by pregorexia in Pakistani young women.
A phenomenological approach was used to study eating disorder-related behaviors among pregnant women. A criterion sample of 15 women (22-34 years of age) having difficulty with their body image, the decline in caloric intake, skipping meals, and extensive exercise from a private gynae clinic of Islamabad was selected. The participants were screened on the DSM-5 criteria of anorexia nervosa. They were also asked questions about their diet intake, behaviors executed to lose or maintain weight, use of any medical or chemical substance to control weight, any social activities/behaviors, type of exercise if any, duration or frequency of exercise, and behaviors that made them feel better.
The findings revealed that 93.33% of women met the complete criteria of Anorexia nervosa. 86.6% had never been diagnosed or treated with anorexia nervosa, however, 13.33% were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa comorbid with depression. Results indicated a likelihood of having anorexic tendencies in 40% of women and the other 60% developed the symptoms during pregnancy only. Behaviors related to pregorexia were found to be: skipping meals, eating small portions, control on calorie intake, following diet plans available on YouTube, taking fat burn tea, avoiding the presence of elders of the family while taking meals, eating alone to limit food portion, taking laxatives or medicine to control weight, induced vomiting after eating, eating to match the norm of eating (supervised eating by elders) being pregnant and later self-induced vomiting, or eating slowly and consuming more time, pretending to eat the suitable amount of food. Women also engaged in fast walking, light exercise, and intensive cardio to control weight and stay in body shape. Around 86% reported that controlling weight, calorie intake, and exercising made them feel better.
There is a need to understand and differentiate pregorexia from other eating behaviors and problems among pregnant women with respect to cultural context.
在巴基斯坦，大约十年来，对理想身材的追求以及孕期报告的消瘦和饮食失调现象大幅增加。本研究的目的是探讨巴基斯坦年轻女性中孕期厌食症的生活经历和行为特征。
采用现象学方法研究孕妇中与饮食失调相关的行为。从伊斯兰堡一家私立妇科诊所选取了15名（22 - 34岁）对自己身体形象不满意、热量摄入减少、不吃饭以及过度运动的女性作为标准样本。根据精神疾病诊断与统计手册第5版中神经性厌食症的标准对参与者进行筛查。还询问了她们的饮食摄入情况、为减肥或维持体重所采取的行为、使用任何药物或化学物质控制体重的情况、任何社交活动/行为、是否进行运动（若有）、运动的时长或频率以及让她们感觉良好的行为。
研究结果显示，93.33%的女性符合神经性厌食症的全部标准。86.6%的女性从未被诊断或治疗过神经性厌食症，然而，13.33%的女性被诊断为神经性厌食症合并抑郁症。结果表明，40%的女性有厌食倾向，另外60%仅在孕期出现症状。与孕期厌食症相关的行为有：不吃饭、少食、控制热量摄入、遵循YouTube上的饮食计划、喝燃脂茶、吃饭时避开家中长辈、独自用餐以控制食量、服用泻药或药物控制体重、饭后催吐、为符合怀孕时的饮食规范（长辈监督饮食）而进食，之后又自我催吐，或者吃得很慢、花费更多时间，假装吃适量的食物。女性还通过快走、轻度运动和高强度有氧运动来控制体重并保持体型。约86%的女性表示控制体重、热量摄入和运动让她们感觉更好。
有必要在文化背景下理解并区分孕期厌食症与孕妇的其他饮食行为和问题。
