The relationship between the high-risk disordered eating and social network navigation among Saudi college females during the COVID pandemic

Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are complex health issues that may lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes among college students. More studies should be directed toward the screening of DEBs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of DEBs among Saudi female university students...

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Published in:	Frontiers in public health Vol. 10; p. 949051
Main Authors:	Raja N, Alotaibi Abdulaziz, Osman, Nermin A, Alqethami, Abdullah Muidh, Abd El-Fatah, Nesrin Kamal
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 06-09-2022
Subjects:	college COVID-19 - epidemiology Cross-Sectional Studies Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology Female high-risk disordered eating Humans Pandemics Public Health Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia - epidemiology social media social network navigation Social Networking Universities Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia college social network navigation COVID pandemic high-risk disordered eating female social media
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Summary:	Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are complex health issues that may lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes among college students. More studies should be directed toward the screening of DEBs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of DEBs among Saudi female university students and their association with social networking site (SNSs) usage and composite lifestyle behaviors during the unprecedented period of COVID-19. This cross-sectional study included 445 females recruited using stratified random sampling. The participants self-reported demographic, social, medical, and lifestyle data and completed the validated Arabic version of the Eating Attitudes Test-26, Social Networking Sites (SNSs) Usage Questionnaire, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, and Body Shape Questionnaire. The prevalence of DEBs was 27.2% among the female students at Taif University. From the pre-pandemic period until the current time, the DEBs-risk group had a significantly higher SNS navigation rate (36.4%) than the normal group (20.4%) ( = 30.015, = 0.001). The regression analysis revealed that females with a significant body image concern, higher number of SNSs friends, and frequent visits to SNSs, and those seeking social-dependent information in relation to weight loss/dieting were more likely to develop DEBs (Overall Model: Chi-Square = 158.071, < 0.000 ). SNSs usage and DEBs were associated during the COVID-pandemic. However, the composite lifestyle score did not demonstrate a significant association with DEBs among the female students at Taif University. Investigating the magnitude of DEBs and understanding the role of SNS are essential for preventing disordered eating among young females.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Edited by: Wulf Rössler, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany This article was submitted to Public Mental Health, a section of the journal Frontiers in Public Health Reviewed by: Tom Sander, Hochschule Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany; Nashwa Ibrahim, Mansoura University, Egypt; Marta Kożybska, Pomeranian Medical University, Poland
ISSN:	2296-2565 2296-2565
DOI:	10.3389/fpubh.2022.949051