Publication: The association of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHTR) with risk of eating disorder among undergraduate students in USM Health Campus
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Date
2025-07
Authors
Maarof, Siti Athirah
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Abstract
Recent years have witnessed the uprising trends in the prevalence of eating disorders among university students. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) with the risk of eating disorder among undergraduate students in the USM health campus. A total of 154 students participated, and data were collected using a self-administered Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) along with anthropometric measurement of BMI and WHtR. Based on weight and height measurement, the BMI was calculated, while WHtR was computed using waist circumference and height measurements. The Fisher Exact Test and Pearson’s Chi-Square were used to determine the association between BMI and WHtR with the risk of eating disorder, respectively. Results revealed that the majority of participants were aged between 21 to 22 years old (53.9%). Most participants were Malay (87.7%) and 68.2% were female, third year students (37.7%) and from PPSP and PPSK (40.3%). In addition, 18.2% of the students were at a higher chance on risk of developing an eating disorder, 48.1% students had a normal BMI, and 72.7% were at low risk of WHtR (< 0.5). In the meantime, the study reported a sigmificant association between BMI and risk of eating disorder (p<0.001) and as well as WHtR with risk of eating disorder (p< 0.001). Therefore, there is a significant association between body mass index and waist-to-height ratio with the risk of eating disorders. Students with higher BMI and WHtR values are more likely to be at risk of eating disorders. It highlights that both measurements can be used as a potential anthropometric measure in early risk identification
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