Differences in the Associations between Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Outcomes by Gender? A Lebanese Population Study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the interaction between body dissatisfaction and gender on eating disorders (restrained eating, binge eating, orthorexia nervosa, and emotional eating) among a sample of Lebanese adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study, conducted between January and May 2018, enrolled 811 participants selected randomly from all Lebanese Mohafazat. The mean age of the participants was 27.6±11.8 years. The majority were females (66.5%), had a high level of education (73.2%), and low income (77.9%). This study used the following scales: body dissatisfaction subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory-second version, binge eating scale, Dutch restrained eating scale, orthorexia nervosa scale (ORTHO-15 scale), emotional eating scale, perceived stress scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. RESULTS: Body dissatisfaction was positively correlated to restrained eating (r=0.293, P<0.001), emotional eating (r=0.073, P=0.042) and binge eating (r=0.250, P<0.001). The interaction between body dissatisfaction and gender was significantly associated with more restrained eating (Beta=0.01, P<0.001) and orthorexia nervosa (Beta=-0.09, P<0.001), but not with emotional (Beta=-0.43, P=0.103) and binge eating (Beta=-0.08, P=0.358). When stratifying the analysis by gender, the results revealed that higher body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with more restrained eating in both genders, but particularly among women. Body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with higher emotional eating in men only and with higher orthorexia nervosa tendencies and behaviors in females only. CONCLUSION: The interaction between body dissatisfaction and gender was significantly associated with orthorexia nervosa and restrained eating but not with binge or emotional eating. Higher body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with higher restrained eating, more pronounced in women, while it was significantly associated with higher orthorexia tendencies (lower ORTO-15 scores) in women only. Body dissatisfaction was associated with emotional eating in men only.

Construction and validation of the Lebanese Osteoporosis Knowledge Scale among a representative sample of Lebanese women.

Our study aimed at constructing and validating the Lebanese Osteoporosis Knowledge Scale adapted for use among Lebanese women and to assess factors associated with the poorest knowledge of osteoporosis definition, risk factors, and preventive measures. This scale showed adequate psychometric properties; higher knowledge scores were reached in women who already heard about the disease and had a formal education. As a result, the LOKS-19 can be used to measure knowledge of osteoporosis and help assess osteoporosis-related interventions. INTRODUCTION: The primary objective of this study was to describe the construction of the Lebanese Osteoporosis Knowledge Scale (LOKS) and assess its psychometric properties in a representative sample of Lebanese women aged 40 years and above. Secondary objectives were to explore factors associated with this knowledge score. METHODS: A cross-sectional study carried out between March and June 2018, enrolled 560 women over the age of 40 years living in the community. This proportionate sample was randomly selected from all Lebanese governorates to cover the entire Lebanese area. A survey was developed and adapted to the Lebanese population based on preexisting scales. Personal interviews were conducted to collect data. RESULTS: The items of the LOKS were distributed across seven factors with an Eigenvalue over 1 solution, outlining an overall value of 55.89% of the variance. A high Cronbach's alpha was found for the full scale (0.725). Individuals having a university level of education (beta = 1.62; compared to illiteracy), having heard of osteoporosis (beta = 2.62), taking supplements of calcium and vitamin D compared to none (beta = 0.77), and having had Crohn's disease (beta = 1.71) had significantly higher knowledge scores of osteoporosis; oppositely, having diabetes (beta = - 1.17), currently taking chemotherapy (beta = - 2.25), and ever having had a fracture (beta = - 0.74) were significantly correlated with lower awareness of osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the LOKS-19 can be used to measure knowledge of osteoporosis and help assess osteoporosis-related interventions. A better knowledge seems to be associated with more preventive measures and less risk of fracture.