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Female medical students are estimated to have a higher risk for developing eating disorders than male medical students.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21205562     Owner:  NLM     Status:  In-Process    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
INTRODUCTION: Studies show that university students are at risk for eating disorders. However, risk behaviour has not been studied among Danish medical students, nor have the gender differences in risk behaviour been described in a Danish context.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: All first-year medical students (n = 979) received a questionnaire related to body perception, exercise habits, eating habits, height and weight in the fall of 2006 and 2007. The response rate was 57% (n = 561). The gender distribution of the study population was 71.8% females and 28.2% males and the average age was 21.5 years.
RESULTS: More males (89.8%) than females (73.1%) were satisfied with their body and more females (34.8%) than males (10.9%) felt too fat. More females (42.7%) than males (19.9%) felt guilty when eating unhealthy food. 2.3% (all females) claimed to feel anxiety when they were about to eat. More males (48.4%) than females (28.6%) stated that they could not keep themselves from exercising. 13.5% of the underweight females (body mass index < 20 kg/m²) felt too fat, while none of the underweight males had this perception. In average, females and males displayed 2.8 and 2.1 risk behaviours, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Female medical students have a drive for thinness and male medical students want to be muscular. More female than male students have a negative body perception. Female medical students are estimated to have a higher risk for developing eating disorders than male students. Future research in this area should address the causes of such behaviour.
Authors:
Agnete Skovlund Dissing; Nanna Hasle Bak; Laura Erna Toftegaard Pedersen; Birgit H Petersson
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Danish medical bulletin     Volume:  58     ISSN:  1603-9629     ISO Abbreviation:  Dan Med Bull     Publication Date:  2011 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-01-05     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0066040     Medline TA:  Dan Med Bull     Country:  Denmark    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  A4207     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Unit of Women and Gender Research in Medicine, Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen K, Denmark. agdi@sund.ku.dk
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