Association between eating disorders and body image in athletes and non-athlete students in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences

Background:Body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders are of common problems in adolescence and adulthood especially among athletes. Objective:The aim of this study was to determine the association of eating disorders and body image in athletes and non-athlete students in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on226 athlete students and 350 non-athlete students of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences during 2013-2014. Students who followed a specific sport field and had participated in at least one sport event were considered as athlete students. All athlete students were entered the study by census method. Non-athlete students were selected among students who had not any exercise activityand by random sampling method.Data were collected through demographic questionnaire,EatingAttitudes Test(EAT-26), and Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ).Data were analyzed using T-test and Chi-square test. Results:Mean age was 21.92±3.19 years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.24±3.18 kg/m2. The frequency of eating disorders was 11.5% among the athlete students and 11.2% amongthe non-athlete students.Anorexia nervosa was found to be more prevalent than bulimia nervosa in both groups. The students with normal BMI had better body image perception and less eating disorderssymptoms than other students. The association of age, educational level, and gender with eating disorders and body image was not statistically significant. The associationof eating disorders and body image was not statistically significant. Eating disorders were more prevalent in males than females but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: With regards to the results, it seems that eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction are relatively prevalent among both athletes and non-athlete students and BMI is predictor of eating disorders.