title: Obstetric complications and mother's age at delivery are predictors of eating disorder symptoms among Health Science college students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the association between perinatal/neonatal factors and symptoms of eating disorders among college students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred and eight college students (283 women), aged 18 to 23 years old, enrolled in the first semester of a Bachelor of Health Science degree program were included in the sample. Eating disorder symptoms and body image dissatisfaction were assessed with the Eating Attitudes Test and Bulimic Investigatory Test of Edinburgh. Information regarding birth weight, breastfeeding, obstetric complications, mother's age at delivery, type of delivery, and birth order were self-reported by the volunteers after consulting their parents. Association between perinatal and neonatal factors and symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa were assessed by binary logistic regression adjusted for sex, age, and body mass index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The likelihood of presenting with symptoms of anorexia nervosa was 0.5 time lower for those students born from the oldest mothers (odds ratio - OR=0.37; 95% confidence interval - 95%CI: 0.17-0.83). Relative to bulimia nervosa, the risk was higher among students who reported obstetric complications (OR=2.62; 95%CI: 1.03-6.67).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed the association between perinatal and neonatal factors with symptoms of eating disorders in college students.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mara Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lofrano-Prado
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wagner Luiz do
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mauro Virgilio Gomes de
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago Ricardo dos Santos
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Tenório
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sandra Lopes de
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Souza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000209:etiology; D000067290:Behavior Rating Scale; D001724:Birth Weight; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001942:Breast Feeding; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000209:etiology; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult