Dataset Information

Association between dental fear and eating disorders and Body Mass Index among Finnish university students: a national survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Little is known about the association between eating disorders (ED) and dental fear. This study investigated the association between dental fear and EDs through body mass index (BMI), and SCOFF (sick, control, one stone, fat, food) questionnaire among Finnish university students. We hypothesised that dental fear is associated with EDs and BMI.

Methods

We used the latest data from the Finnish University Student Health Survey 2016. This survey targeted undergraduate Finnish students (n?=?10,000) of academic universities and universities of applied sciences. We enquired about e.g. age, gender, height, weight, educational sector and perceived mental well-being. We used the SCOFF questionnaire to assess those at risk for developing EDs. The question 'Do you feel scared about dental care?' enquired about dental fear. We used the chi-square test and gender-specific logistic regression to analyse the associations between dental fear, EDs and BMI controlling for age, educational sector and mental well-being.

Results

In total, 3110 students participated in the study. Overall 7.2% of the students reported high dental fear and 9.2% scored SCOFF positive; more women than men reported high dental fear (11.2% vs. 3.8%, p?ConclusionsAmong the Finnish university students BMI in males and problems of mental well-being in females were positively associated with high dental fear. The results of this study support possible common vulnerability factors that dental fear and other psychological disorders may share.

SUBMITTER: Sharifian MJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7934505 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Association between dental fear and eating disorders and Body Mass Index among Finnish university students: a national survey.

Sharifian Mohammad Jalil MJ Pohjola Vesa V Kunttu Kristina K Virtanen Jorma I JI

BMC oral health 20210304 1

<h4>Background</h4>Little is known about the association between eating disorders (ED) and dental fear. This study investigated the association between dental fear and EDs through body mass index (BMI), and SCOFF (sick, control, one stone, fat, food) questionnaire among Finnish university students. We hypothesised that dental fear is associated with EDs and BMI.<h4>Methods</h4>We used the latest data from the Finnish University Student Health Survey 2016. This survey targeted undergraduate Finni ...[more]

PMID: 33663476

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Project description:BackgroundBody weight concerns are common among individuals with eating disorders, and this construct can be assessed using psychometric instruments. The Weight Concerns Scale (WCS) is commonly used to assess body weight concerns.AimsTo evaluate the psychometric properties of the WCS with Brazilian, Portuguese, and Mozambican female college students; to estimate body weight concerns; and to identify factors related to eating disorders.MethodsConfirmatory factor analysis was performed. Factorial, convergent, concurrent, and divergent validity, as well as reliability, were assessed. Cross-national invariance was tested by means of multigroup analysis. Structural models were tested using the WCS as the dependent variable, while demographic and academic variables and body mass index were used as independent variables. Logistic models were tested to estimate the likelihood of eating disorders being developed in specific groups.ResultsParticipants were 2,068 female students. The psychometric properties of the WCS were adequate for the Portuguese sample; however, for the Brazilian and Mozambican samples, it was necessary to correlate the errors of two items to improve model fit. The WCS did not show cross-national invariance. The variables "thoughts about dropping out of college," "medication use because of studies," "medication and supplements use for body change," "body mass index," "socioeconomic status," "age," and "performance in course" were significant predictors of body weight concerns. Overall, 24.4% (95% confidence interval = 22.9-26.7) of the students were likely to develop eating disorders. Students under 21 years old, who use medication and supplements for body change, and who were classified as overweight/obese have increased likelihood of developing eating disorders.ConclusionThe WCS showed good psychometric properties with Brazilian, Portuguese, and Mozambican students; however, it did not show cross-national invariance. We identified important aspects for investigating body weight concerns and factors related to eating disorders.

Project description:The aim of this study was to assess the impact of inherent aspects of body image, eating behavior and perceived health competence on quality of life of university students. Participants completed the instruments Body Shape Questionnaire (reduced version, BSQ-8B), Male Body Dissatisfaction Scale (reduced version, MBDS-R), Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (reduced version, TFEQ-18), Perceived Health Competence Scale (bifactorial version, PHCS-B), World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form (WHOQoL-bref) and a questionnaire for characterization of sample. Psychometric properties of instruments were previously evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis. A hypothetical model for each sex was developed and tested. In both model surveys the aspects of the body image (BSQ-8B: body shape concern; MBDS-R: musculature and general body appearance), of eating behavior (TFEQ-18: cognitive restriction, emotional eating, and uncontrolled eating) and of the perceived health competence (PHCS-B: expectations of achieving the desired health results and competence in health behaviors) were used as direct predictors on quality of life (WHOQoL-bref). The variables age, medication use for body change, food supplement use for body change, and body mass index (BMI) were inserted in the aspects of the body image. The variables course shift, initial expectation regarding the course, self-reported performance in the course, concomitant work activities to studies, and economic class were inserted into the quality of life. The model surveys were evaluated using structural equation modeling. A level of significance of 5% was used. A total of 2,198 university students (female = 63.5%), including 1,151 Brazilians and 1,047 Portuguese, participated of study (locally representative samples). The average age of women was 20.8 ± 2.4 years and of men was 21.3 ± 3.3 years. The psychometric properties of the instruments were adequate, except for the PHCS, which was adjusted for each sex. The models presented variance explained of 54% and 49% for women and men, respectively. In both sexes, the students' perceived health competence and academic variables contributed significantly to their quality of life, and age, BMI, and medication and supplement use were significant factors relating to how a student views his or her body image. Women's quality of life was associated with body shape concern and emotional eating aspects. Men's quality of life was associated with general body appearance and cognitive restriction aspects. These results can be used to create and implement educational programs to improve quality of life of university students.

Dataset Information

Association between dental fear and eating disorders and Body Mass Index among Finnish university students: a national survey.

Background

Methods

Results

Publications

Association between dental fear and eating disorders and Body Mass Index among Finnish university students: a national survey.

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