Eating attitudes among college students: the role of body shape concerns, mental health, and obesity

Body image concerns, mental health disorders, and obesity are highly prevalent among young adults and can significantly influence eating attitudes during the college years.

To study the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes, body shape concerns, common mental health disorders, and obesity among college-going students, and to find out their inter-relationship.

This cross-sectional study collected data from 311 participants (186 males; 125 females) aged 18–23 years. Participants completed questionnaires assessing their demographics, eating attitudes, body shape concerns, and common mental disorders. Four somatometric measurements were recorded according to the ISAK protocol for assessing adiposity levels. Spearman’s rho assessed the association, and logistic regression identified the risk of possible disordered eating behavior.

Males reported higher EAT-26 (p = .042) and dieting scores (p = .019), as well as higher adiposity indices, including waist circumference (p < .001) and body mass index (p = .009), than females. Greater prevalence of high perceived stress (p = .002), severe anxiety (p = .032), high WC (p = .018), and waist-to-hip ratio (p < .001) was reported among females. Body shape concern was significantly positively correlated with disordered eating attitudes among both sexes (p < .001). Females with elevated body shape concerns were eight times more likely to report disordered eating attitudes, whereas males were four times more likely (p < .001). BMI (p = .002), WC (p = .012), and WHtR (p < .001) significantly predicted the risk of disordered eating attitudes among males, whereas anxiety (p = .033) predicted the risk among females.

Young adults constitute a critically vulnerable yet underrecognized group for eating and weight-related disorders, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen screening, prevention, and intervention efforts. Future research and public health initiatives must adopt gender-sensitive frameworks that acknowledge the unique pathways through which both sexes experience and express eating-related psychopathology.