Factors associated with Abnormal Eating Behaviors among Women College Students

Youjeong Choi; Suk-Sun Kim

doi:10.12934/jkpmhn.2017.26.2.134

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Choi and Kim: Factors associated with Abnormal Eating Behaviors among Women College Students

Original Article

J Korean Acad Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 2017;26(2):134-142.

Published online: 7 June 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12934/jkpmhn.2017.26.2.134

Factors associated with Abnormal Eating Behaviors among Women College Students

Youjeong Choi¹, Suk-Sun Kim²

¹Graduated College, College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

²College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

Corresponding author: Kim, Suk-Sun College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, 52 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Korea. Tel: +82-2-3277-2885, Fax: +82-2-3277-2850, E-mail: suksunkim@ewha.ac.kr

Received 17 January 201731 May 2017 Accepted 7 June 2017

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this descriptive correlation study was to examine the correlations among body mass index, paternal and maternal parenting, alexithymia, depression, and abnormal eating behaviors, and to determine associated risk factors for Korean women college students.

Methods

Data were collected from 270 women college students in S city, Korea. They were asked to fill out the Korean version of the Eating Attitude Test, Parental Bonding Instrument, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. The collected data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchial regression analysis.

Results

College students' abnormal eating behaviors were significantly associated with body mass index, paternal and maternal parenting, alexithymia, and depression. Hierarchical regression analysis found the most important predictors of abnormal eating behaviors were body mass index and depression, which explained 15% of the variance in abnormal eating behaviors.

Conclusion

These results suggest that women college students with overweight and higher levels of depression are vulnerable to disordered eating behavior. Management of obesity and depressive mood could be effective interventions to prevent disordered eating behavior.

Keywords: Eating behavior, Parenting, Depression, Body mass index, Young adult

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Table 1.

A Difference of Abnormal Eating Behaviors according to the Characteristics of the Subjects (N=270)

Variables	Categories	n (%) or M±SD	Abnormal eati
Variables	Categories	n (%) or M±SD	M±SD	F (p) Scheffé
Age (year)		22.01±2.41
Average monthly disbursement (10,000 won)	<20	25 (9.3)	11.36±9.81	1.25 (.293)
	20~<30	58 (21.5)	9.25±9.36
	30~<40	129 (47.8)	11.41±8.80
	≥40	58 (21.5)	12.50±10.00
Subjective Body Image	Recognition	54 (20.0)	9.05±8.12	13.64
	Slim^a	94 (34.8)	8.37±8.60	(<.001)
	Standard^b Fat^c	122 (45.2)	14.27±9.41	b, a<c
Body satisfaction	Dissatisfaction^a	148 (54.8)	14.29±9.61	21.18
	Usually^b^c	68 (25.2)	7.13±6.88	(<.001)
	Satisfaction^c	54 (20.0)	7.74±7.92	b, c<a
A direct negative impact from parents words on the appearance and weight (n=269)	Not receive^a	142 (52.8)	9.50±9.28	10.95
	Usually^b	55 (20.4)	9.98±6.83	(<.001)
	Receive^c	72 (26.8)	15.41±9.80	a, b<c
	Not response	1
An indirect negative impact from parent words on body weight (n=269)	Not receive^a	150 (55.8)	10.45±9.47	8.57
	Usually^b	69 (25.7)	9.37±6.93	(<.001)
	Receive^c	50 (18.6)	15.88±10.28	b, a<c
	Not response	1
Level of abnomal eating behavior	Normal group (<18)	213 (78.9)
Level of abnomal eating behavior	Possible risk group (18~20)	18 (6.7)
	High risk group (≥21)	39 (14.4)

Table 2.

Correlations among BMI, Alexithymia, Perception of Parenting, Depression, and Abnormal Eating Behavior (N=270)

Variables	M±SD	1	2	3				4	5
		1	2	3-1	3-2	3-3	3-4	4	5
		r (p)	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)
1. Abnormal eating behavior	11.17±9.29	1
2. Body mass index	20.88±2.76	.24 (<.001)	1
3. Perception of parenting
3-1. Maternal	13.40±7.12	.22	−.01	1
overprotection		(<.001)	(.937)
3-2. Maternal care	25.91±6.15	−.12 (.043)	.04 (.486)	−.45 (<.001)	1
3-3. Paternal overprotection	12.74±6.60	.19 (.002)	.05 (.397)	.70 (<.001)	−.34 (<.001)	1
3-4. Paternal care	22.98±6.92	−.12 (.050)	−.11 (.730)	−.30 (<.001)	.46 (<.001)	−.48 (<.001)	1
4. Alexithymia	36.33±11.69	.17 (<.001)	−.01 (.848)	.27 (<.001)	−.16 (.009)	.24 (<.001)	−.17 (.005)	1
5. Depression	15.57±11.40	.32 (<.001)	.04 (.550)	.27 (<.001)	−.27 (<.001)	.31 (<.001)	−.33 (<.001)	.42 (<.001)	1

Table 3.

Influence of Abnormal Eating Behavior of Female College Students (N=270)

Variable	Model I				Model II				Model III
Variable	β	SE	t	p	β	SE	t	p	β	SE	t	p
(Constant)	−5.33	4.21	−1.26	.207	−7.64	5.51	−1.39	.207	−13.17	5.61	−2.35	.020
Body mass index	.24	0.20	3.96	<.001	.24	0.19	4.10	<.001	.23	0.19	4.10	<.001
Perception of parenting
Maternal overprotection					.18	0.11	2.10	.038	.16	0.11	1.89	.059
Maternal care					−.04	0.11	−0.58	.566	−.01	0.10	−0.17	.862
Paternal overprotection					.00	0.10	0.02	.984	.06	0.10	0.80	.426
Paternal care					.03	0.13	0.37	.372	−.00	0.12	−0.05	.962
Emotional factor
Alexithymia									.02	0.05	0.25	.802
Depression									.28	0.05	4.22	<.001

R²=.05, F=15.639, p<.001 R²=.09, F=6.344, p<.001 R²=.15, F=7.956, p<.001

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