Prevalência de compulsão alimentar, depressão e ansiedade entre os universitários de diferentes cursos de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais - 2008

Abstract

The objective of this exploratory study was to investigate the prevalence of Binge Eating, Depressive Syndrome, Anxiety Syndrome and Body dissatisfaction as well as to verify their possible associations within these different disorders, with the use of psychoactive drugs and with other socio-demographic and behavioral variables among 1,590 college students attending the 1st and 7th semesters of all undergraduate courses at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. The questionnaire applied for this research was semi-structured, self-applied, anonymous, confidential, containing several variables — related to student life style, demographic, social, personal, sexuality, related behaviorally to the use of psychoactive drugs, aesthetic, related to medical treatment, body mass/weight, as well as to traced results for Binge Eating, Depressive Syndrome, Anxiety Syndrome and Body image dissatisfaction. Exploratory bivariate analyzes were executed and logistic regression was used to characterize the relative weight of the studied variables over the analyzed outcomes. Among the students evaluated, it was indicated that the following results were positively identified through the tracing instruments utilized: 8.2% presented Binge Eating; 3.8% presented Depression; 13.9% presented Anxiety and 10.1% presented Body dissatisfaction. In the logistic regression models developed it was observed that the levels of Binge Eating and anxiety were associated to the presence of depression and body dissatisfaction. The levels of depression and body dissatisfaction were associated to the presence of Binge Eating and anxiety. The students with elevated body mass indexes were more likely to present Binge Eating and body dissatisfaction and the ones taking psychoactive prescription drugs were more likely to develop Binge Eating and depression. Female students were vulnerable to present anxiety and body dissatisfaction and the students who reported rarely or never feeling happy were prone to present depression and anxiety. College students that reported being under treatment for any chronic diseases and placed in the monthly income bracket of up to 10 minimum wages showed higher likelihood to display anxiety as well as the presence of alcoholism and depression among their children. Finally, the students that reported dissatisfaction with their bodies, particularly with their midsection, the desire to undergo plastic surgery and were taking health related courses were more susceptible to body dissatisfaction.