Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Short Communication
  • Published:

Characteristics of eating disorders in a university hospital-based Spanish population

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages 459–462 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To describe the personal and family antecedents and clinical characteristics of patients with eating disorders (EDs) in a population of the south of Spain; to analyse the influence of lifestyles, family functioning, socioeconomic status (SES), and psychological characteristics in these processes.

Design:

A university-based case–control study.

Setting:

University Hospital (Andalusia, Spain).

Subjects:

A total of 120 patients with EDs and 240 controls.

Interventions:

SCOFF, EDI, APGAR family, and SES questionnaires.

Results:

In all, 67.5% of patients presented anorexia (AN), 15% bulimia (BN), and 17.5% mixed forms. EDs emerged at around 18–20 y (95% CI 17.9–19.8). Factors associated with EDs are psychiatric conditions (depression OR: 4.16, anxiety OR: 4.59), more frequent use of medication (OR: 2.26), dietary fibre (OR: 2.59), and laxatives (OR: 3.47). Toxics consumption, sport activity, SES, and family antecedents of pathology are not associated with EDs. An inverse relationship was found between family functioning and the scores in various subscales of the EDI.

Conclusions:

Eating disorders in Andalusia (Spain) are influenced significantly more by psychological, family, and cultural factors than by social factors.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Graph 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bellodi L, Cavallini MC, Bertelli S, Chiapparino D, Riboldi C & Smarald E (2001): Morbidity risk for obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders in first degree relatives of patients with eating disorders. Am. J. Psychiatry 158, 563–569.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Broadhead WE, Kaplan BH, James SA, Wagner EH, Schoenbach VJ, Grimson R, Heyden S, Tibblin G & Gehlbach SH (1983): The epidemiologic evidence for a relationship between social support and health. Am. J. Epidemiol. 117, 521–537.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne S & McLean N (2001): Eating disorders in athletes: a review of the literature. J. Sci. Med. Sport. 4, 145–159.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dare C & Key A (1999): Family functioning and adolescent anorexia nervosa. Br. J. Psychiatry 175, 89–90.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fairburn CG, Cooper Z, Doll HA & Welch SL (1999): Risk factors for anorexia nervosa: three integrated case-control comparisons. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 56, 468–476.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garner D, Olmstead M & Polivy J (1983): Development and validation of multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Int. Eat. Disord. 2, 15–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laliberte M, Boland FJ & Leichner P (1999): Family climates: family factors specific to disturbed eating and bulimia nervosa. J. Clin. Psychol. 55, 1021–1040.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lewinsohn PM, Striegel Moore R & Seeley JR (2000): Epidemiology and natural course of eating disorders in young women from adolescence to young adulthood. J. Am. Acad. Child. Adolesc. Psychiatry 39, 1284–1292.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lilenfeld LR, Stein D, Bulik CM, Strober M, Plotnicov K, Pollice C, Rao R, Merikangas KR, Nagy L & Kaye WH (2000): Personality traits among currently eating disordered, recovered and never ill first-degree female relatives of bulimic and control women. Psychol. Med. 30, 1399–1410.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McClelland L & Crisp A (2001): Anorexia nervosa and social class. Int. J. Eat. Disord. 29, 150–156.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan JF, Lacey JH & Reid F (1999a): Anorexia nervosa: changes in sexuality during weight restoration. Psychosom. Med. 61, 541–545.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan JF, Reid DF & Lacey JH (1999b): The Scoff questionnaire: assessment of a new screening tool for eating disorders. BMJ 319, 1467–1468.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick L (2002): Eating disorders: a review of the literature with emphasis on medical complications and clinical nutrition. Altern. Med. Rev. 7, 184–202.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez Gaspar M, Gual P, de Irala Estevez J, Martínez Gonzále MA, Lahortiga F & Cervera S (2000): Prevalencia de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria en las adolescentes navarras. Med. Clin. 114, 481–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pla C & Toro J (1999): Anorexia nervosa in a Spanish adolescent sample: an 8 year longitudinal study. Acta. Psychiatr. Scand. 100, 441–446.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez-Martín A, Martinez Nieto JM, Ruiz Jimenez MA, Novalbos Ruiz JP, Vazquez MC, Fernandez YC, Gomez MA & Fernandez CC (1999): Unhealthy eating behaviour in adolescents. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 15, 643–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers L, Resnick MD, Mitchell JE & Blum RW (1997): The relationship between socioeconomic status and eating-disordered behaviors in a community sample of adolescent girls. Int. J. Eat. Disord. 22, 15–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smilkstein G (1978): The family APGAR: a proposal for a family function test and its use by physicians. J. Fam. Pract. 6, 1231–1239.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Westermeyer J & Specker S (1999): Social resources and social function in comorbid eating and substance disorder: a matched-pairs study. Am. J. Addict. 8, 332–336.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Area of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Cádiz, Spain

    A Rodríguez Martín, J P Novalbos Ruiz, J M Martinez Nieto & A L Castro de Haro

  2. Endocrinology and Clinical Nutrition Service, University Hospital ‘Puerta del Mar’, Cádiz, Spain

    L Escobar Jiménez

Authors
  1. A Rodríguez Martín
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J P Novalbos Ruiz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J M Martinez Nieto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. L Escobar Jiménez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A L Castro de Haro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Rodríguez Martín.

Additional information

Guarantors: A Rodríguez Martín and JP Novalbos Ruiz.

Contributors: All authors were responsible for planning the study. All authors contributed to statistical analysis and writing of the paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rodríguez Martín, A., Novalbos Ruiz, J., Martinez Nieto, J. et al. Characteristics of eating disorders in a university hospital-based Spanish population. Eur J Clin Nutr 59, 459–462 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602095

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602095

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links