School of Nutrition, Federal University of Bahia, Campus Canela, Rua Basílio da Gama, Salvador, BA, 40110-907, Brazil.
Department of Statistics, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
Eat Weight Disord. 2023 Sep 27;28(1):78. doi: 10.1007/s40519-023-01608-6.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the relationship between weight stigma experiences and disordered eating behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic is mediated by weight gain concern and psychological distress among university students with and without overweight.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with university students from five regions of Brazil who participated in the baseline assessment of the Online Cohort on Eating Behavior and Health (July/August 2020). Information on the frequency of binge eating episodes, food restriction, and purging, as well as experienced weight stigma, weight gain concern, and psychological distress, were recorded in an online questionnaire. Stratified structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were performed to address the research questions of interest.
Out of the total sample (n = 2511), 33.5% of participants reported experiencing weight stigma. The prevalence of binge eating episodes, food restriction, and purging was 43.7%, 24.1%, and 5.4%, respectively. These behaviors were more prevalent in individuals with overweight than in those without this condition. Furthermore, it was observed that weight gain concern and psychological distress mediated the relationship between weight stigma and disordered eating behaviors regardless of body weight status.
Experiences of weight stigma and disordered eating behaviors were prevalent among Brazilian university students, especially among those with overweight. Weight gain concern and psychological distress appear to be important factors underlying the relationship between these constructs during the pandemic, and they can contribute to the development of targeted strategies for the prevention and management of disordered eating.
Level V, cross-sectional study.
本研究旨在探讨在超重和非超重的大学生中，体重歧视体验与 COVID-19 大流行期间饮食障碍行为之间的关系是否通过体重增加的担忧和心理困扰来介导。
本研究采用横断面研究，对来自巴西五个地区的大学生进行了在线饮食行为和健康队列研究（2020 年 7 月至 8 月）的基线评估。在在线问卷中记录了暴食发作、食物限制和催吐的频率，以及经历的体重歧视、体重增加的担忧和心理困扰。采用分层结构方程模型（SEM）分析来解决研究的关注问题。
在总样本（n=2511）中，33.5%的参与者报告经历了体重歧视。暴食发作、食物限制和催吐的发生率分别为 43.7%、24.1%和 5.4%。这些行为在超重者中比在非超重者中更为普遍。此外，体重增加的担忧和心理困扰在无论体重状况如何，都介导了体重歧视与饮食障碍行为之间的关系。
巴西大学生中存在体重歧视和饮食障碍行为，尤其是在超重者中更为普遍。体重增加的担忧和心理困扰似乎是这些构念在大流行期间相关的重要因素，它们可以为预防和管理饮食障碍提供有针对性的策略。
五级，横断面研究。
