Detection of eating disorders in university students using scoff questionnaire

Eating disorders are the group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits, EDs such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorders and Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified EDNOS are common both in western countries and non western countries. Recently, the prevalence of eating disorders has also been reported in several Asian countries including Pakistan. EDs are most common in students particularly University students. The purpose of this study is to screen the students of Sindh University for the likelihood of eating disorders using SCOFF test. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out on the students of Sindh University Jamshoro. Data was collected using a five questions SCOFF questionnaire; the data was analyzed in SPSS software. SCOFF questionnaire detected 24.6% individuals at high risk of eating disorders. Female students and the students of younger age group (18-21 years) were significantly (P < 0.001) at higher risk than male students and the students of older age group (22-25 years). Likely hood of eating disorders was detected in all categories of BMI. Overall, the detection of SCOFF positive students was highest.