Moderate-to-severe food insecurity is positively correlated with the risk of eating disorders in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ethics Med Public Health
; 27: 100874, 2023 Apr.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2236113
ABSTRACT
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic may have worsened food insecurity and altered the eating behaviour of young adults. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aims to investigate the correlation between moderate-to-severe food insecurity and the risk of eating disorders among young urbanists in Malaysia after the pandemic-led lockdown.Methods:
The food security status and the risk of eating disorders were assessed using the validated Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26), respectively.Results:
Among the 208 young urbanists, approximately one-third (30.8%) were moderate-to-severe food insecure and about one-fifth (18.8%) were at risk of eating disorders after the nationwide lockdown. With the adjustment of gender, the binary logistic regression analysis revealed that moderate-to-severe food insecure individuals were 2.279 times (P = 0.030, 95% CI = 1.084-4.791) more likely to engage in disordered eating in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of partial correlation further indicated that moderate-to-severe food insecurity was positively correlated (rpartial = 0.156, P = 0.024) with bulimia and food preoccupation after the outbreak.Conclusions:
Governments and non-governmental organizations must work closely to develop effective policies to address food insecurity and disordered eating behaviour among young urbanists - after the pandemic.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Language:
English
Journal:
Ethics Med Public Health
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.jemep.2023.100874
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