Relationship between risk of eating disorder and body composition in students, Trujillo, Peru

Kong Lozano L.Á.; Villanueva Salazar H.A.; Díaz Ortega J.L. · Nutricion Clinica y Dietetica Hospitalaria (2025) · DOI: 10.12873/452diaz

Resumen

Introduction: Eating disorders establish severe alterations in the eating habits of those who suffer from them, negatively affecting their nutritional status. This problem has increased in recent decades among adolescents. Objective: To determine the relationship between body composition and the risks of eating disorder behavior in high school students at Educational Institution 80891 in the city of Trujillo (Peru). Materials and Methods: A descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study was conducted with 145 adolescents from the third, fourth, and fifth years of secondary school. To assess the risk of eating behavior disorder (EBD), the EAT-26 questionnaire (Eating Attitudes Test – 26) was used, while anthropometric measurements were taken using the OMRON HBF-514C bioimpedance analyzer. The chi-square statistical test was employed to establish the relationship between the risk of EBD and body composition variables such as body mass index (BMI), visceral fat mass (VFM), and muscle mass. For correlations, Kendall’s Tau-b and Tau-c coefficients were used through SPSS software version 26. Results: 47.6% of the evaluated students presented a risk of eating behavior disorder (EBD). Muscle mass in males and females was low at 23.4% and 25.5%, respectively, and the percentage VFM was above the normal value of 9%, at 11.1% in males and 9.7% in females. Only in the fourth year of secondary school was a weak, statistically significant inverse association found between EBD and BMI (p=0.022; Tau-c=-0.326), as well as between EBD and VFM (Tau-b=-0.331; p=0.019). Conclusion: It was concluded that there is no relationship between body composition and the risk of eating behavior disorder.

Instituciones: Universidad César Vallejo