Disordered eating in three different age groups in Cyprus: a comparative cross-sectional study

Objective: to assess eating attitudes and behaviours across different age groups in a Cypriot non-clinical population sample. Method: The study consisted of participants aged 12 years and older partaking in the I.Family Study in Cyprus. 1716 participants with data on gender, age, BMI and EAT-26 questionnaire were included in the analyses and divided according to age: adolescence (12-18), young adulthood (25-45) and middle adulthood (45-60). Results: Across all age groups women had higher scores on the EAT-26 compared to men. On EAT-26 subscales of dieting and oral control, mean scores for men were higher among older age groups compared to adolescents whereas no difference was found for the bulimia and food preoccupation subscales. In women EAT-26 and dieting subscale scores were higher in young and middle adulthood compared to adolescence. Men and women in young adulthood had the highest number of participants with EAT-26 scores >= 20. Additionally, 12% of women between 25-45 years of age reported using laxatives, diet pills or diuretics as weight control measures. Exercise was the most frequent weight control measure utilized across all age groups. BMI was the strongest predictor of EAT-26 scores: The more participants deviated from a normal BMI to overweight and obese categories, the more likely they were to have disordered eating attitudes and behaviours. Conclusion: unhealthy eating patterns in non-clinical Cypriot participants are not only confined to adolescence but adulthood as well. Research directions should focus on use of more objective measures of eating disorder risk in Cypriot adults with consideration of gender specific motivations underlying disordered eating behaviours.