Risk factors for eating disorders among undergraduate nursing students

Objective: To identify the pesence of risk factors in nursing students for the development of eating disorders. Methods: Cross-sectional study with undergraduate nursing students horn a public university, where a demographic questionnaire, the Eating Attitude test (EAT), and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) were used. Descriptive analysis, Pearson's correlation and linear regression were used to analyze the data. Results: Among the 120 undergraduate students, 30 (25%) presented altered eating behavior, and 55 (45.8%) demonstrated dissatisfaction with body shape. A simple positive correlation was found between the EAI and BSQ instruments (p<0.001), in which 20 (66.7%) of the 55 undergraduate students with BSQ alterations also had FAI alterations; there was a significant association between risky eating attitude (FAI) and body mass index (BMI) above the state of eutrophy, and a significant association between preoccupation with body shape (005) and year in school, mainly in the third and Mirth years. There was a significant difference between the instruments 'used and age, showing that the youngest students were at a higher risk la the development of eating disorders. Conclusion: Undergraduate nursing students presented risk factors for development of eating disorders with the pesence of preoccupation with body shape and altered eating behaviors. The multifactorial etiology of eating disorders suggests that research should emphasize prevention, focusing on the development of a positive concept in young people about their self image and developing critical thinking about image patterns, media and social impositions.