Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011;59(8):700-7.
doi: 10.1080/07448481.2010.546461.

Eating disorder symptoms among college students: prevalence, persistence, correlates, and treatment-seeking

Daniel Eisenberg  1 , Emily J Nicklett, Kathryn Roeder, Nina E Kirz
Affiliations

Eating disorder symptoms among college students: prevalence, persistence, correlates, and treatment-seeking

Daniel Eisenberg et al. J Am Coll Health. 2011.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the prevalence, correlates, persistence, and treatment-seeking related to symptoms of eating disorders (EDs) in a random sample of college students.

Participants: A random sample of students at a large university were recruited for an Internet survey in Fall 2005 and a follow-up survey in Fall 2007.

Methods: ED symptoms were measured using the SCOFF screen and adjusted for nonresponse using administrative data and a nonresponse survey.

Results: 2,822 (56%) students completed the baseline survey. Among undergraduates the prevalence of positive screens was 13.5% for women and 3.6% for men. Among students with positive screens, 20% had received past-year mental health treatment. In the follow-up sample (N = 753), ED symptoms at baseline significantly predicted symptoms 2 years later.

Conclusions: Symptoms of EDs were prevalent and persistent among college students in this study. These findings suggest that brief screens can identify a large number of students with untreated EDs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Probability of a positive screen at 2-year follow-up, by number of symptoms at baseline (0, 1, 2, 3+).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hoerr SL, Bokram R, Lugo B, Bivins T, Keast DR. Risk for disordered eating relates to both gender and ethnicity for college students. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002;21:307–314. - PubMed
    1. Kirk G, Singh K, Getz H. Risk of eating disorders among female college athletes and nonathletes. J Coll Counsel. 2001;4:122–132.
    1. Prouty AM, Protinsky HO, Canady D. College women: eating behaviors and help-seeking preferences. Adolescence. 2002;37:353–363. - PubMed
    1. Reinking MF, Alexander LE. Prevalence of disordered-eating behaviors in undergraduate female collegiate athletes and nonathletes. J Athl Train. 2005;40:47–51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. National Eating Disorders Association. National Eating Disorders Association announces results of eating disorders poll on college campuses across the nation. [Accessed August 15, 2010];Market Wire. 2006 Sep; Available at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles_/mi_pwwi/is_/ai_n16742451.

MeSH terms