Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders in Greek-Cypriot Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the prevalence rates of eating disorders among Greek-Cypriot adolescents and young adults and examine the role of the following variables in relation to eating disorder risk: gender, age, dieting, exercise and present-ideal weight discrepancy. One thousand and eighty-one middle, high school and university students responded to self-reported measures assessing eating disorders, weight-related concerns and behaviors. Prevalence estimates were 26% for high eating disorder risk and 14.98% for subthreshold eating disorders symptoms while 12% of participants met criteria of an eating disorder diagnosis. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed well-established predictors for eating disorder risk including present to ideal weight discrepancy which had a differential effect on risk in adolescents (i.e., 6-10 kg) and young adults (11+kg). This is the first study to provide prevalence rates of the entire eating pathology spectrum among Greek-Cypriot youth. Results are discussed in terms of their implications in the development of age-specific screening tools and prevention programs.