Prevalence of abnormal eating behaviors in adolescents in Mexico: Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence of abnormal eating behaviors in a population-based nationwide survey.


METHODS
A stratified, probabilistic, multistage design sampling process was used. The Brief Questionnaire for Risky Eating Behaviors was included in the Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 (ENSANUT 2006) and administered to participants 10-19 years old (n= 25 166). The study had the power to describe nationwide characteristics by age, regions and urban/rural settings.


RESULTS
A high risk for having an eating disorder was found in 0.8% of the total participants (0.4% male adolescents and 1.0% female). Inhabitants in large cities showed higher risk for having an abnormal eating behavior compared to subjects living in other settings. The highest prevalences were found in males > 15 years old and females > 13 years old for all evaluated behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
Results show less prevalence of risky eating behaviors among adolescents in comparison to other populations. The female/male ratio was 3:1, far different from the 9:1 shown in a previous study in Mexico City, but similar to results from the US national eating disorders screening.
Barriguete-Meléndez
Jorge Armando
JA
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, México, DF, México. barriguete@quetzal.innsz.mx
Unikel-Santoncini
Claudia
C
Aguilar-Salinas
Carlos
C
Córdoba-Villalobos
José Angel
JA
Shamah
Teresa
T
Barquera
Simón
S
Rivera
Juan A
JA
Hernández-Avila
Mauricio
M
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult