Eating disorders (binge eating) in university students with psychological stress

Abstract

Eating disorders are characterized by persistent disturbances in eating behaviors that result in changes in food intake and absorption and significant impairment of physical health and psychosocial functioning. Healthy eating contributes to a general sense of well-being and is a cornerstone of prevention of a number of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer, tooth decay, and asthma. Clinical studies show that among obese individuals, those with binge eating disorder have more psychiatric and medical illnesses, poor social and occupational functioning, and reduced quality of life. Therefore, it can be concluded that overeating leads to physical, psychological, and social problems in obese individuals.

In order to detect the level of overeating (binge eating) among individuals exposed to psychological stress, the researcher applied the overeating scale of the American scientist (Gormally, 1982). The scale consists of (16) items, and in order to apply the scale to the research sample consisting of (200) individuals, its instructions were extracted and its validity and reliability coefficients were verified by the scientist (Dezhkam, 2009). After analyzing the sample's answers to the scale items, the research results showed that the sample suffers from high gluttony in eating, and after obtaining the results, the researcher presented a set of recommendations and proposals appropriate to what her research reached.