The risk of eating disorders in health science students

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of eating disorders among health students, identifying the socioeconomic, academic and psychological factors associated with these disorders. This work was observational, with a transversal approach. Several studies have investigated the prevalence of eating disorders among healthcare students, with varying results depending on the region and methodology used. Some studies suggest higher rates of eating disorders in healthcare students compared to the general population. Eating disorders can have significant consequences on the personal and professional lives of students in the health field, including compromised mental health, decreased academic performance and difficulties in interpersonal relationships. More stressed students and those with moderate or severe depression have a greater tendency to develop ED, women indicate a significantly higher risk for developing these disorders. Body and behavioral dissatisfaction does not vary so much between courses in the health area, it is not yet possible to say that the academic environment triggers the development of these eating disorders or whether students are already predisposed to developing these pathologies who choose courses in these areas.consistent across health science courses, but whether the academic environment triggers these disorders or predisposed students choose these fields remains unclear.