University students' knowledge of and ability to identify disordered eating warning signs and risk factors

Background: The present study examined university students' knowledge of disordered eating behaviors, engagement in disordered eating, and ability to identify warning signs and risk factors associated with disordered eating. Methods: A two page, 83 item survey was distributed to students (N = 450) at one Midwestern university. The survey was tested for validity and reliability prior to survey administration and resulted in correlation coefficients for stability reliability and internal consistency reliability > .80. Results: Results indicated that a high percentage of students were engaging in disordered eating behaviors particularly purging. Students were not aware of common warning signs of disordered eating including preoccupation with weight and excessive exercise. Logistic regression analyses indicated significant differences based on sex and grade. Conclusions: This study found that students were not aware of warning signs and risk factors of disordered eating. Additional education is needed to increase university student knowledge of disordered eating behaviors. Findings may be beneficial to university health professionals in developing programs targeting university students. Recommendations for future research and programming will be offered.