Eating disorders and body dissatisfaction is double in Muslim teenagers than in Christian

	Tweet

The incidence of eating disorders was found to be 2.3-fold higher among Muslim adolescents than among their Christian classmates. Similarly, body dissatisfaction was 1.8-fold higher in the former group. Finally, as a general conclusion, an average of one in four adolescents suffers some type of eating disorder, and 15% suffers body dissatisfaction. These were the conclusions drawn of a research conducted at the University of Granada.

The sample was taken from a Spanish multicultural city, Ceuta, where different religious groups have co-existed for centuries –Christian, Muslim, Jews–, and where about 30% of the total population is Muslim. The goal of this study was to assess the incidence of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction in a non-clinical sample of adolescents belonging to different religious groups, and assess the relationship between religious affiliation and health disorders.

To carry out this research, the authors examined a sample of 493 students aged between 12 and 20 years from three public schools in Ceuta, including secondary school.

Pioneer Study

The author of this study, Francisco Javier Ramón Jarne, belongs to the Institute of Neuroscience “Federico Olóriz” of the University of Granada. This research “addresses a subject that has never been studied in Spain before: the relationship between religious affiliation, eating disorders and body image perception. As regards other international studies, this is one of the few comparative studies ever made by religious affiliation (Christian and Muslim) and gender”. So far, only one similar study had been developed in Israel with a sample of Christian, Muslim and Jew adolescent girls.

The recent massive migratory movements –mainly from countries of the Maghrib– experienced in Spain have transformed the religious affiliation of its population. “This makes the results of this study very interesting from the point of view of preventive medicine and public health”, Francisco Javier Ramón Jarne states.

The University of Granada researcher pointed out that “affiliation to the Islamic religion taken as a socio-cultural factor can also be associated to these disorders, even although the thin ideal is not associated to the Islamic culture”.

###

The research carried out by Francisco Javier Ramón Jarne was conducted by professors Manuel Gurpegui Fernández de Legaria and Dolores Jurado Chacón.

Contact: Francisco Javier Ramón Jarne. Institute of Neuroscience “Federico Olóriz”. University of Granada. Cell pone: +34 609 55 28 29. E-mail address:

Accessible on English version

Accesible en Versión española

Accessible sur le site Version française

###

Contact: Francisco Javier Ramón Jarne

34-609-552-829
University of Granada

RELATED STORIES:
Curbing nocturnal binges in sleep-related eating disorder   Anorexia nervosa study finds inner conflicts over the ‘real’ self that have treatment implications   Neurosurgical treatment of anxiety disorders effective   New approach helps new moms with eating disorders   Doubled risk of anxiety for 18 month-old children with congenital heart defects   Eating disorder may be missed in boys, non-whites   Use of Anti-Depressant Does Not Decrease Risk of Relapse of Anorexia Nervosa   UI professor identifies new eating disorder, seeks study participants   Does Eating Give You Pleasure, Or Make You Anxious?   Internet program may help prevent eating disorders   Diagnosis uncertainty increases anxiety in patients   Nearly 1 in 5 teenagers admit eating problems, but anxiety is a bigger problem than appearance   Bulimia, Binge Eating Respond to Talk Therapy   Navigating Holiday Food Issues for People with an Eating Disorder   Binge-Eating Treatment Found Cost-Effective

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]