Paper: Gender Difference in Body Mass Index, Depression, Social Support and Eating Disorder among Fifth and Sixth Grade Students: (Sigma Theta Tau International's 21st International Nursing Research Congress)

Wednesday, 14 July 2010: 11:20 AM

Chen-Ju Chen, MS, RN
School of Nursing, National Yang Ming University; Department of Nursing, Yuanpei University, Taipei City, Taiwan
Shu Yu, PhD, RN
School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Chun-Hsia Huang, RN
School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University; Municipal Zhong-Xiao Elementary School, Taipei, Taiwan

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand gender difference between both gender in body mass index, depressive symptom, social support, and risk of eating disorder.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to identify gender difference in predictors of risk of eating disorder in 5th and 6th grade students.

Background: Depression and eating disorder are getting more important for children. Prevention and early detection are critical in childhood. However, there is lack of comparing gender difference between genders.
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to compare gender difference between both gender in body mass index (BMI), depressive symptom, social support and risk of eating disorder, and then to identify gender difference in predictors of risk of eating disorder.
Design: This is a cross-sectional correlational study.
Participants: A randomly selected sample, total of fifteen counties, twenty-one elementary schools, 1233 elementary school students participated in this study.
Methods: Data were collected by a questionnaire.

Results: 20.52% of subjects scored above the cut point for risk of eating disorder. No significant gender difference existed in prevalence of risk of eating disorder (20.58% vs. 20.46%). Mild and severe depressive symptoms were 23.93% and 21.74%, respectively. Significant gender difference existed in BMI and social support from peer group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that female subjects who reported grandparents family (OR: 3.61, 95% CI = 1.24-10.53), overweight (OR: 2.50, 95% CI =1.31-4.80), obesity (OR: 2.70, 95% CI = 1.39-5.25), mild depressive symptom (OR: 1.73, 95% CI =1.00-2.98), and severe depressive symptom (OR: 3.85, 95% CI =2.22-6.69) were significantly more likely to exhibit risk of eating disorder. Male subjects who reported severe depressive symptom (OR: 1.76, 95% CI =1.05-2.94) and higher level of support from peer group (OR: 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.05) were significantly more likely to exhibit risk of eating disorder.

Conclusions: Our findings illustrate that no gender difference existed in prevalence of risk of eating disorder. We found that predictors of risk of eating disorder were differently for male and female, but depression. Based on our findings, it is necessary to design gender specific intervention program to promote health eating attitude and behaviour in childhood.

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