Background. Disordered eating is recognized to be predominant among girls and, historically, studies have focused primarily on them.
Aim. To investigate the characteristics of adolescent and young adult (AYA) males at risk of disordered eating.
Design and setting. Cross-sectional survey of post-mandatory education students.
Method. AYA (15-24 years) from post-mandatory education in Switzerland (N=5179) participated in a study assessing their lifestyles. Only males (n=2269) were included in the study and divided in two groups based on the SCOFF questionnaire. Participants answering positively to at least two questions were included in the SCOFF[+] group (n=230, 10.1%) and the rest were the SCOFF[-] group (n=2039, 89.9%). All variables significant at the bivariate level were included in a logistic regression. Data are presented as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence interval.
Results. At the multivariate level, SCOFF[+] were more likely to be overweight (aOR: 2.58 [1.78:3.75]) and obese (aOR: 3.12 [1.70:5.71]), have a lower socio-economic status (aOR: 2.20 [1.39:3.48]) and non- Swiss parents (aOR: 1.66 [1.19:2.31]); have faced weight issues (aOR: 5.79 [2.98:11.27]; report a chronic condition (aOR: 1.63 [1.11:2.40]), a poorer emotional well-being (aOR: 1.79 [1.19:2.69]) and a less positive attitude towards life (aOR: 0.95 [0.93:0.98]).
Conclusion. As 10% of males are at risk of disordered eating, clinicians should be aware of their specificities and consider these as red flags. Disordered eating is no longer a specific female issue and tends to become a male issue too.