Determinants of eating disorders among morrocan medical students

Introduction Eating disorders (EDs) are multifactorial in origin. Medical students are a special population because they are particularly young and exposed to stress, workload and the experience of illness in the field. Objective To determine the prevalence of EDs and associated factors among medical students Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted from November to December 2020 among medical students at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Casablanca. Data were collected using a hetero questionnaire distributed online. The presence of EDs was measured using the SCOFF (Stick, Control, One stone, Fat, Food) scale and anxiety and depression were measured using the HAD (Hamilton Anxiety and Depression) scale. The sample size was calculated a priori and multivariate statistical analyses such as logistic regression were performed. The α threshold was set at 5%. Results A total of 315 students participated in the study, the mean age was 21.01+/- 2.5 years, the majority were female (68.7%), and undergraduates represented 61.7% of the sample. The incidence of EDs was 39.9%. Regarding BMI (Body Mass Index). In terms of BMI, 65.5% had a normal BMI, anxiety and depressive symptoms were absent in 48.4% and 72.2% of cases respectively. Factors associated with EDS were: use of weight control (OR: 7.14 [1.72- 32.519], p = 0.00), BMI (OR: 1.142 [1.06-1.22], p = 0.000) and anxiety symptoms (OR: 3.51 [51.98-6.23], p = 0.000). Conclusions The frequency of eating disorders is high among medical students. The knowledge of the potentially associated factors allows us to generate hypotheses in order to define the axes of prevention of these disorders. Key messages Eating disorders are a health problem among medical students. Eating disorders are multifactorial in origin.