Examining vegetarianism, weight motivations, and eating disorder psychopathology among college students.
Int J Eat Disord
; 53(9): 1506-1514, 2020 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32621566
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Previous research has suggested a link between vegetarianism, broadly defined, and symptoms of eating disorders (ED). However, the literature supporting this link is mixed and limited by possible measurement artifacts. Using data from a national sample of college students, the present study examines ED symptomatology among three groups (a) vegetarians whose meat avoidance is motivated by weight concerns; (b) non-weight motivated vegetarians; and (c) nonvegetarians.METHOD:
Participants include 9,910 students from 12 colleges and universities across the United States who participated in the web-based Healthy Bodies Study. ED symptomatology was measured using the Short-Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q). First, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test measurement invariance (MI) of the S-EDE-Q across weight-motivated vegetarians, non-weight-motivated vegetarians, and nonvegetarians. Gender- and BMI-adjusted ANCOVA was used to compare S-EDE-Q scores across groups.RESULTS:
9.3% of participants were vegetarian. Cis-women and gender minority students were more likely to be vegetarian; those who became vegetarians after entering college were more likely to report weight-related motivations. Strict MI was supported for the S-EDE-Q global and subscale scores. Weight-motivated vegetarians reported higher levels of restraint, shape/weight overvaluation, body dissatisfaction, and global ED psychopathology relative to other participants.DISCUSSION:
To our knowledge, this is the first to explicitly link weight motivations for vegetarianism to ED psychopathology in a large, representative sample of young adults. Results suggest that students presenting with ED symptoms should be assessed for their motivations for adopting a vegetarian diet, and this information should be considered in treatment decisions.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Psicopatologia
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Estudantes
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Dieta Vegetariana
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Peso Corporal
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Transtornos da Alimentação e da Ingestão de Alimentos
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos