Comparison of Eating Attitudes, Eating Behavi-our and Psychological Health of Women with Eating Disorders and Young Women with Type I.Diabetes

Overview

Comparison of 110 young women with type I diabetes with 85 women suffering from eating disor-ders and 136 young healthy controls did not confirm the hypothesis significantly higher incidenceof eating disorders in women with the insulin dependent form of diabetes mellitus. On diabeticpatient suffered from anorexia nervosa of the bulimic type and 2 (1.7 %) young women withdiabetes met the diagnostic criteria of bulimia nervosa. Although the diabetic patients in theireating attitudes and habits were closer to the control group rather than to the group of womenwith eating disorders, in comparison with the control group they showed a higher body dissatis-faction, fear of being fat and a more extreme tendency towards dieting. 23.5 % diabetic patientshad a higher than critical score in EAT 26 (8.8 % in the control group), had a higher score in theEDI scale „Drive for thinness“, they more often reported dieting, cheating with food or preferringlight foods. However, their body dissatisfaction, fear of fatness and unsuitable eating habits couldhave been related to their higher body weight (28.6 % of the diabetic patients were overweight).No significant difference was found between the diabetic women and the control group in themajority of EDI scales and GHQ 28 scales (somatic symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction anddepression). These two groups differed significantly from women suffering from eating disorders.

Key words:
diabetes, eating disorders, eating attitudes.