Eating disorder symptoms, weight loss behaviors and weight-cycling in female college students: Correlates of exercise practice

We examined the relationships between exercise, eating disorders, weight loss-related concerns/behaviors and weight-cycling (weight loss and regain greater than or equal to 10%), The subjects were comprised of 1123 female college students (aged 18.9 +/- 1.1 yrs.) who each completed a questionnaire on eating attitudes [Eating Attitude Test (EAT)], dieting behavior [Dieting Behavior Scale (DBS)], purging behavior (self-induced vomiting and use of laxatives) and previous weight-cycling. Subjects were divided into four groups on the basis of their current regular exercise behavior as follows : non-exercisers (Ns) (N = 704), low-intensity, low-frequency exercisers (LLs) (N = 106), moderate/high-intensity, low-frequency exercisers (MLs) (N=184) and moderate/high-intensity, high-frequency exercisers (MHs) (N=129). Analyses of variances showed significant differences among the four groups for weight and eating concerns, and weight loss behavior. Not only MHs, but also MLs exhibited higher Dieting subscale score ratings on the EAT than Ns. MHs and MLs also showed higher Structured- and Extraordinary-Diet subscale score ratings on the DBS than Na and LLs, Significantly more MHs used self-induced vomiting than the other three groups, whereas significantly more MHs and MLs used laxatives than Ns. MHs who had experienced weight-cycling were by far more likely to have unhealthy weight loss behaviors and eating disorders than Ns. These findings suggest that vigorous exercise in female college students is associated with eating disorder- and weight loss-related concerns/behavior even though the students do not exhibit frequent exercise habits. Though regular exercise is desirable, careful attention must be paid to behavioral factors related to eating and weight loss in exercising female college students.