What this article is about
In brief
In this cross-sectional Bangalore sample, men were more likely to screen positive on the SCOFF and EAT-26 and to report exercising for more than 60 minutes as a weight-control behaviour. The paper’s tables do not support the much larger gender contrast in weight perception and dissatisfaction implied by its abstract.
For nursing students
Study summary
Vijayalakshmi and colleagues surveyed 454 medical and nursing undergraduates at two universities in Bangalore, South India, between August and October 2014. Participants reported height, weight, body-weight perception, weight satisfaction and weight-control behaviours. They also completed the SCOFF and EAT-26 eating-disorder screening tools and the PHQ-9 depression questionnaire.
Men had a significantly higher BMI than women. Men were also more likely to score above the study’s screening thresholds: 45.4% of men and 31.1% of women scored positive on the SCOFF, while 16.5% of men and 8.7% of women scored in the at-risk range on the EAT-26. These are screening results, not eating-disorder diagnoses.
The detailed tables provide a more cautious picture of body perception than the abstract. Within each gender, 28.9% of men and 23.2% of women described themselves as overweight. Weight dissatisfaction was reported by 33.0% of men and 39.8% of women. Neither response distribution differed significantly by gender. The abstract’s figures of 74.8% and 81.6% appear to use the proportion of all respondents selecting each response who were women.
Reports of eating binges occurred in 41.2% of men and 48.2% of women across the questionnaire’s frequency categories. Men more often reported exercising for over 60 minutes to control weight, and more men reported losing at least 10 kilograms during the previous six months. PHQ-9 severity categories did not differ significantly by gender.
Gender and course of study were strongly imbalanced. Almost all men were medical students, while most women were nursing students. The cross-sectional design, convenience recruitment and self-reported height, weight and behaviours further limit interpretation beyond these two universities.
Original publication
Source abstract and study details
Read the source abstract
Objective. To assess gender disparity in body weight perception, Body Mass Index (BMI), eight satisfaction and role of depression among undergraduate Medical and Nursing students. Methods. A descriptive cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in conveniently selected medical (n=241) and nursing (n=213) students of Bangalore, South India. Data was collected using self-administered SCOFF questionnaires. Results. Our findings revealed that men had a significantly higher BMI than women (t=5.403, p<0.001). More number of women compared to men, perceived themselves as ver weight (74.8%) and not satisfied with their weight status (81.6%). More men than women cored positively for disordered eating behaviors on SCOFF (45.4% vs. 31.1%) and EAT scale (16.5% vs. 8.7%). While, 48.2% of the women practice binge eating, 41.2% of the men practice it (p<0.004); more men (47.4%) than women (25.4%) exercised for more than sixty minutes (p<0.001) to control their weight. Conclusion.Findings indicate small differences between the genders that have to be taken in consideration in planning interventional programs to prevent eating disorders in this copulation. Descriptors: body mass index; weight perception; cross-sectional studies; students, nursing; students, medical; feeding and eating disorders. How to cite this article: Vijayalakshmi P, Thimmaiah R, Reddy SSN, Kathyayani BV, Gandhi S, Math SB. Gender Differences in Body Mass Index, Body Weight Perception, weight satisfaction, disordered eating and Weight control strategies among Indian Medical and Nursing Undergraduates. Invest. Educ. Enferm. 2017; 35(3):276-284.
Reviewed findings
Main findings
- Men had a significantly higher BMI than women, and 47.4% of men versus 20.7% of women were in the study's overweight BMI category.
- Positive SCOFF screens were more frequent among men than women (45.4% versus 31.1%; p=0.009), as were EAT-26 at-risk scores (16.5% versus 8.7%; p=0.025).
- Table 1 found no statistically significant gender difference in perceived overweight (28.9% of men and 23.2% of women) or weight dissatisfaction (33.0% and 39.8%).
- Exercise lasting more than 60 minutes as a weight-control behaviour was reported more often by men, while PHQ-9 severity categories did not differ significantly by gender.
Using the findings
Practice considerations
- A positive SCOFF or EAT-26 result indicates a need for further assessment; it should not be presented as an eating-disorder diagnosis.
- The higher screening-positive proportions among men in this sample caution against restricting eating-disorder assessment solely by gender.
- This study did not evaluate a screening policy or intervention, so student-health decisions require additional evidence.
For educators
Teaching and appraisal notes
This article is useful for teaching denominators, confounding and the difference between screening and diagnosis. Its abstract presents 74.8% and 81.6% as evidence of women’s perceived overweight and dissatisfaction, but Table 1 reports within-gender values of 23.2% and 39.8%. The larger figures are the female shares among all respondents choosing those answers.
The sample creates a major confounding problem. Of the 97 men, 92 were medical students and five were nursing students. Among 357 women, 149 were medical students and 208 were nursing students. The study cannot cleanly separate gender from program of study.
The strongest supported result is that men more often exceeded the SCOFF and EAT-26 screening thresholds. That result is a prompt for further assessment, not a prevalence estimate for diagnosed eating disorders. The article does not test a screening program, prevention intervention or clinical treatment.
Critical appraisal
Limitations
- Convenience recruitment from two Bangalore universities limits generalization to other health-science programs or regions.
- Gender was strongly associated with program of study, so program and gender effects cannot be separated cleanly.
- The cross-sectional design cannot establish causes or show how eating attitudes changed during training.
- BMI and behavioural measures were self-reported.
- The abstract’s 74.8% and 81.6% figures use unclear denominators and conflict with Table 1.
Classroom use
Discussion Questions
- How does interpretation change when 74.8% is the female share of respondents selecting an answer rather than the percentage of women selecting it?
- Why does the imbalance between gender and course of study prevent a clean conclusion about gender effects?
- What additional assessment would be needed after a positive SCOFF or EAT-26 screen?
- Which design changes would help distinguish gender, program and institutional influences?
Source-based questions
Frequently asked questions
Did 74.8% of the women describe themselves as overweight?
No. Table 1 reports that 23.2% of women and 28.9% of men described themselves as overweight. The 74.8% figure uses a different denominator.
Did the SCOFF and EAT-26 results diagnose eating disorders?
No. Both were used as screening tools. A positive screen requires further assessment and is not a diagnosis.
Can the results be attributed to gender alone?
Not confidently. Almost all male participants were medical students, while most female participants were nursing students.