title: Eating habits, physical activity, consumption of substances and eating disorders in adolescents.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences between adolescents with a high or low risk of developing an eating disorder (ED) in different health behaviors (eating habits, physical activity and the consumption of substances) per gender. The EAT-40 and the Inventory of Behavioral Health in Scholars were applied to 2142 middle school students from Alicante (Spain), of whom 52.8% were girls and 47.2% were boys, with an average age of 13.92 years old (Sd = 1.34). Results indicated that girls with a high risk of developing an ED consumed fewer meals, ate fewer unhealthy foods, followed more diets and paid more attention to nutritional components. Furthermore, they also performed more physical activity with the objective of losing weight, and consumed more tobacco, alcohol and medicines. Boys at high risk of developing an ED followed more diets and paid more attention to nutritional components. For boys, no more differences were found. These results suggest that any program directed at the prevention of ED should not only include nutritional education, but should also seek to promote regular physical activity with objectives other than weight loss or the burning of calories.
authors: Departmento de Psicología de la Salud, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Avda. de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain. y.quiles@umh.es
authors: Yolanda
authors: Y
authors: Quiles-Marcos
authors: Isabel
authors: I
authors: Balaguer-Solá
authors: Lidia
authors: L
authors: Pamies-Aubalat
authors: María José
authors: MJ
authors: Quiles-Sebastián
authors: Juan Carlos
authors: JC
authors: Marzo-Campos
authors: Jesús
authors: J
authors: Rodríguez-Marín
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013030:Spain; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015431:Weight Loss