Association between possible eating disorders and clinical factors in middle-aged Afro-descendant women

Introduction: Eating disorders (EDs) are a group of entities that are characterized by a persistent alteration in behavior in the face of basic food needs, which cause alterations in the absorption of food and damages to physical health or psychosocial functioning. Although the DSM criteria are used for the diagnosis of EDs, screening with simple tools, such as the SCOFF scale, is recommended to identify people at risk and implement the necessary preventive measures. The objective was to determine the frequency of possible EDs and to establish their association with various clinical factors. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study belonging to the research project Quality of life in menopause and Colombian ethnicities [CAVIMEC]. It was performed in women self-identified as Afro-descendants, with skin phototype V-VI and aged between 40-59 years. The SCOFF questionnaire was applied, a five-item tool that allows establishing the existence of possible EDs. Bivariate and adjusted logistic regression was performed, considering possible EDs as a dependent variable, clinical factors as independent variables, and as covariates: age, coffee consumption, and smoking. Results: 420 women were studied, 22.8% postmenopausal and possible EDs in 130 (30.9%) of the participants. The following were associated with eating disorders: mood alterations with menstruation OR: 4.92 [95%CI: 2.60-9.32], more than one severe depressive episode OR: 4.81 [95%CI: 1.19-19.3], consultation with psychology OR: 4.11 [95%CI: 2.09-8.12], consultation with psychiatry OR: 3.73 [95%CI: 1.05-13.21], increased metabolic risk OR: 3.53 [95%CI: 2.09-5.95], abdominal hysterectomy: 3.19 [95%CI: 1.45-7.00], excessive sadness after childbirth OR: 3.15 [95%CI: 1.11-8.86], abdominal obesity OR: 3.14 [95%CI: 1.54-6.39], diabetes mellitus OR: 2.99 [95% CI: 1.56-5.72], obesity OR: 2.33 [95%CI: 1.26-3.94], postmenopause OR: 2.05 [95%CI: 1.25-3.37]. Conclusions: In a group of Afro-descendant women in middle age, it was found that one third had possible EDs. Several clinical factors were significantly associated with an increased chance of EDs.