College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
BMJ Open. 2022 Jul 29;12(7):e056391. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056391.
Eating disorders (EDs) affect 1.25 million people in the UK. Evidence suggests the public display stigma and poor mental health literacy (MHL) towards EDs. There is a high prevalence of EDs in university populations, so it is important to determine the MHL of this at-risk group. Qualitative research exploring the MHL of this population is incomplete.
Explore university students' beliefs and opinions of EDs, their knowledge of symptoms, treatment and help sources and how these are influenced by biological sex.
A qualitative study, using semistructured interviews analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
The University of Birmingham.
Seven female and seven male University of Birmingham students.
Analysis revealed six themes, each with subthemes: ED characteristics, causes, body image, seeking help, stigma and awareness. Students displayed poor awareness towards ED signs and symptoms, causes and help sources. Students were not stigmatising towards EDs, but many perceived them as a female problem and believed society to be stigmatising. Many referenced informal sources of information such as social media and expressed a desire for ED teaching. Sex did not have a significant influence on knowledge or opinions of EDs in this study; however, there were some differences, for example, some males were more likely to see EDs as a weakness and to perceive themselves as having low levels of knowledge.
University students show broad awareness of EDs; however, knowledge of certain aspects of ED-MHL including help sources and symptom recognition was lacking. Although students were not stigmatising of EDs themselves, many perceived high levels of public stigma. This, alongside poor knowledge, may delay help-seeking. Campaigns educating students and the public about EDs would aid earlier diagnosis, improving long-term outcomes. Further research into awareness and knowledge in other populations would be beneficial.
在英国，有 125 万人患有饮食失调症（ED）。有证据表明，公众对 ED 存在公开污名化和较差的心理健康素养（MHL）。在大学生群体中，ED 的患病率很高，因此确定这一高危人群的 MHL 非常重要。对该人群 MHL 的定性研究并不完整。
探讨大学生对 ED 的信念和看法、他们对症状、治疗和帮助来源的了解，以及这些因素如何受到生物性别影响。
一项使用半结构化访谈的定性研究，采用归纳主题分析进行分析。
伯明翰大学。
七名伯明翰大学的女性学生和七名男性学生。
分析揭示了六个主题，每个主题都有子主题：ED 特征、原因、身体形象、寻求帮助、污名和意识。学生对 ED 的迹象和症状、原因和帮助来源的认识较差。学生对 ED 没有污名化，但许多人认为 ED 是女性的问题，并认为社会存在污名化。许多人参考了社交媒体等非正式信息来源，并表达了对 ED 教学的渴望。在这项研究中，性别对 ED 知识或观点没有显著影响；然而，确实存在一些差异，例如，一些男性更有可能将 ED 视为弱点，并认为自己的知识水平较低。
大学生对 ED 有广泛的认识；然而，对 ED-MHL 的某些方面，包括帮助来源和症状识别的知识却有所欠缺。尽管学生本身对 ED 没有污名化，但许多人认为公众的污名化程度很高。这种情况，再加上知识的缺乏，可能会导致寻求帮助的时间延迟。开展针对学生和公众的 ED 教育活动，有助于早期诊断，改善长期预后。进一步研究其他人群的意识和知识将是有益的。
