Disordered eating in Jordanian adolescents.

Background: Disordered eating attitudes and behaviours are linked to poor physical and psychological outcomes. Aim: To examine the individual, psychological, and socio‐cultural factors associated with disordered eating attitudes among Jordanian adolescents. Methods: A stratified sampling method was used to select school students aged 15 to 18 years from three governates in Jordan in 2013/2014. Participants filled out questionnaires on socio‐demographic variables, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT‐26; to discriminate adolescents with disordered eating); the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ; used to measure psychological factors associated with disordered eating); Body Mass Index was calculated and obesity evaluated according to international cut off points (to categorize normal weight, overweight, and obese adolescents, and these categories were used as individual factors associated with disordered eating). Results: A total of 963 (460 boys and 503 girls) participated in the study. Disordered eating (EAT score ≥ 20) was present in 389 (40.4%); body shape dissatisfaction (BSQ scores ≥110) was present in 161 (16.8%). Overweight and obesity were found in 332 (34.5%) participants. Unhealthy weight loss behaviours (such as self‐induced vomiting, substance abuse, and smoking) were very common. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that female sex, urban residence, distorted perceptions of weight, BMI (excess weight), body dissatisfaction, and socio‐cultural variables (parents, peers and mass media) were significantly associated with disordered eating. Conclusion: Jordanian urban adolescents seem to embrace Western norms to fit in with the demands of Western culture. Socio‐cultural factors, particularly mass media, play a significant role in changing adolescents' norms. Prevention and intervention programs are needed to control these disorders. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Worldwide, disordered eating among adolescents is a significant health issue with serious physical, psychological, and social consequences.Studies on the factors that lead to the development of disordered eating in Jordanian adolescents are limited What this paper adds? The rate of disordered eating in this study indicated that adolescents are being exposed to greater pressures to fit in with "Western" norms more than previously.Sociocultural factors appear to play a significant role in changing adolescents' norms.Adolescents who engage in dieting or weight loss behaviours might not necessarily be overweight and may in fact even be normal weight. The implications of this paper: School nurses have multiple opportunities to facilitate early detection, initiate prevention programmes, and develop culturally sensitive interventions.Offering school nurses an effective assessment tool like EAT‐26 will allow them to accurately assess students, identify those at risk, and develop appropriate prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]