Correlates of eating disorder pathology in Saudi Arabia: BMI and body dissatisfaction

Abstract

Background

Saudi Arabia is undergoing rapid sociocultural changes, which may have led to an increase of body mass index and eating disorder pathology. The aim of this study is to investigate whether body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, having lived abroad, cultural orientation, perceived stress, media use, and socioeconomic status are correlates of eating disorder pathology with body mass index as a covariate. Additional aims are to investigate if cultural orientation is associated with symptomatology and if stress is a covariate in the association between eating disorder pathology and Western orientation.

Method

Self-report measures were administered in a convenience Saudi community sample ( N = 1225) between April 2017 and May 2018. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses with eating disorder pathology as dependent variable were performed to establish the associations among the variables.

Results

After adjusting for the effect of BMI, only body dissatisfaction and eating disorder pathology were moderately associated. Eating disorder pathology and body dissatisfaction were more severe among Saudi citizens with a higher BMI.

Discussion

Several explanations for the lack of associations of westernization, self-esteem, and stress with eating disorder pathology are reviewed and discussed. The majority of this convenience sample existed of young unmarried Saudi females of high socioeconomic status. Of the total sample, 35% displayed eating disorder pathology which may be a reflection of the high rates of excess weight.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40337-022-00652-4.

Plain English summary

Eating disorders were assumed to be rare in Saudi Arabia, however, Saudi citizens report both, increased pressure to be thin and eating disorder pathology. Saudi Arabia is dealing with rapid sociocultural changes. Consequences of these sociocultural changes, which might be associated with eating disorder pathology, are an increase of BMI, body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, westernization, perceived stress, media use, and socioeconomic status. In addition, the increase in BMI might strengthen the associations between eating disorder pathology and body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, perceived stress, media use, and socioeconomic status. Alternative explanations might be that cultural values are associated with different eating disorder symptoms or that eating disorder pathology is associated with stress stemming from transformation that aims to empower women and modernize Saudi society. This study showed that only BMI and body dissatisfaction were associated with eating disorder pathology, and BMI was a covariate in the association between eating disorder pathology and body dissatisfaction. Preventative programs focused on avoidance of maladaptive weight loss strategies and the improvement of body satisfaction might be beneficial in Saudi Arabia.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40337-022-00652-4.