Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Panevėžys University of Applied Sciences, 35200 Panevėžys, Lithuania.
Department of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, 01513 Vilnius, Lithuania.
Nutrients. 2022 May 30;14(11):2293. doi: 10.3390/nu14112293.
Nowadays, eating disorders (ED) among individuals during emerging adulthood have become a crucial challenge to public health, taking into account the fact that the global prevalence of the ED risk in student-aged populations already stands at 10.4% and has been sharply increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In all, from 50% to 80% of all the ED cases go undetected or are not correctly diagnosed; moreover, these individuals do not receive specialized treatment. Therefore, early diagnosis detected via screening questionnaires for ED is highly recommended. This study aimed to identify the triggers for ED risk development in emerging-adulthood individuals and to reveal the factors significant not only for ED prevention but also for assessing individuals with subthreshold symptoms. This cross-sectional study provides the results for the ED symptom screening in 1716 Lithuanian higher-education students aged 21.2 ± 3.9, during emerging adulthood. According to the results of this study, 19.2% of students were at risk for ED. Potential risk factors such as sex (odds ratio (OR): 3.1, 95% CI: 1.9-4.9), body weight (self-reported body mass index) (adjusted (A) OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2-1.7) and comorbidities such as smoking (AOR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.6-2.8), and perceived stress during the pandemic (AOR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1-1.8) are involved in anticipating the symptomatology of ED during emerging adulthood. Regular initial screenings with universally adopted questionnaires and further referral to a psychiatrist must be applied to promote both the diagnosis of early-onset symptomatology and the treatment of these ED in student-aged populations. Preventive programs for reducing the prevalence of overweight or obesity among students during emerging adulthood should focus on integration directions for the development of a positive body image.
如今，在成年初期，个体的饮食失调症（ED）已成为公共卫生的一个重大挑战，考虑到学生年龄段人群的 ED 风险全球患病率已经达到 10.4%，并且在 COVID-19 大流行期间急剧上升。总的来说，所有 ED 病例中有 50%到 80%未被发现或未被正确诊断；此外，这些人没有接受专门的治疗。因此，强烈建议通过 ED 筛查问卷进行早期诊断。本研究旨在确定成年初期个体 ED 风险发展的触发因素，并揭示不仅对 ED 预防而且对评估有亚临床症状的个体具有重要意义的因素。这项横断面研究提供了在成年初期对 1716 名立陶宛高等教育学生进行 ED 症状筛查的结果，这些学生年龄为 21.2 ± 3.9 岁。根据这项研究的结果，19.2%的学生有 ED 风险。潜在的风险因素，如性别（比值比（OR）：3.1，95%置信区间（CI）：1.9-4.9）、体重（自我报告的体重指数）（调整后（A）OR：1.4；95% CI：1.2-1.7）和合并症，如吸烟（AOR：2.1；95% CI：1.6-2.8），以及大流行期间的感知压力（AOR：1.4；95% CI：1.1-1.8），都与成年初期 ED 症状的预测有关。必须定期使用普遍采用的问卷进行初步筛查，并进一步转介给精神科医生，以促进对早期发病症状的诊断和对这些 ED 的治疗。在成年初期，针对学生群体的超重或肥胖患病率预防计划应侧重于整合方向，以培养积极的身体形象。
