Disordered eating attitudes and body shape concerns among North Indian Kathak dancers

• Published in: The International journal of eating disorders Vol. 54; no. 2; pp. 148 - 154
• Main Authors: Kulshreshtha, Monika, Babu, Nandita, Goel, Neha J., Chandel, Shivani
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-02-2021; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Attitudes; body dissatisfaction; body image; dancers; dieting; disordered eating; Eating behavior; Eating disorders; India; nutrition; South Asia; women; disordered eating; nutrition; body dissatisfaction; dancers; body image; eating disorders; India; South Asia; dieting; women
• ISSN: 0276-3478; 1098-108X
• DOI: 10.1002/eat.23425

Objective
To determine the prevalence and association between disordered eating attitudes and body shape concerns in a sample of North Indian Kathak dancers.
Method
Participants were 206 Kathak female dancers and 235 healthy controls, ages 18–45 years. Participants completed questionnaires assessing demographics, disordered eating attitudes, and body dissatisfaction. Pearson correlations assessed the association between the disordered eating attitudes and body dissatisfaction, and binary logistic regression identified the risk of having a possible eating disorder.
Results
Kathak dancers reported significantly greater disordered eating attitudes compared to controls (12.1% vs. 5.9%, p = .023). Dancers endorsed greater dieting behaviors (M = 5.6 vs. 4.5, p = .031), and binge eating episodes (p < .001) relative to their counterparts. Body dissatisfaction was significantly positively correlated with disordered eating attitudes among the dancers (p < .001). Dancers with elevated body shape concerns were five times more likely to report disordered eating attitudes, relative to their peers (p < .001).
Discussion
Disordered eating attitudes and body shape concerns are prevalent among North Indian Kathak dancers. Future research should aim to develop targeted prevention and intervention programs that focus on reducing these behaviors and promoting a positive body image to mitigate the risk of disordered eating among this group.