Prevalence and Factors Associated with Eating Disorders in Military First Line of Defense against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study during the Second Epidemic Wave in Peru

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-02, Vol.20 (4), p.2848
• Main Authors: Valladares-Garrido, Mario J, León-Figueroa, Darwin A, Picón-Reátegui, Cinthia Karina, García-Vicente, Abigaíl, Valladares-Garrido, Danai, Failoc-Rojas, Virgilio E, Pereira-Victorio, César Johan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Anorexia; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Binge eating; Bulimia; Burnout; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - epidemiology; Eating behavior; Eating disorders; Epidemics; Fear; Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology; Food; Food security; Humans; Insomnia; Likert scale; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Military; Military personnel; Military Personnel - psychology; Pandemics; Peru; Physical activity; Prevalence; Psychological stress; Quantitative psychology; Questionnaires; Risk groups; Sleep disorders; Spain
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20042848

Few studies have evaluated eating disorders in military personnel engaged in defense activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with eating disorders in military personnel from Lambayeque, Peru. A secondary data analysis was performed among 510 military personnel during the second epidemic wave of COVID-19 in Peru. We used the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) to assess eating disorders. We explored associations with insomnia, food insecurity, physical activity, resilience, fear to COVID-19, burnout syndrome, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and selected sociodemographic variables. Eating disorders were experienced by 10.2% of participants. A higher prevalence of eating disorders was associated with having 7 to 12 months (PR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.24-7.11) and 19 months or more (PR: 2.62; 95% CI: 1.11-6.17) working in the first line of defense against COVID-19, fear of COVID-19 (PR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.26-3.85), burnout syndrome (PR: 3.73; 95% CI: 1.90-7.33) and post-traumatic stress (PR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.13-7.83). A low prevalence of eating disorders was found in the military personnel. However, prevention of this problem should be focused on at-risk groups that experience mental health burdens.