Archive 1992–2014

Three separate studies on eating disorders prevalence in Poland are presented. Two popular questionnaires for the assessment of attitudes and behaviors toward eating (EAT-26 and BITE), as well as the HAD questionnaire for the assessment of anxiety and depression levels, were used in the research. A cross-sectional comparison of female university students and workwomen indicated that the frequency of inappropriate attitudes and behaviors for the two groups was 4% (using BITE) and 9% (using EAT-26), while respective values were several times higher among university students. It was found that inappropriate eating-related attitudes and behaviors were accompanied by increased anxiety and depression levels, significantly higher in workwomen. A prospective study carried out on female secondary school students indicated that the frequency of inappropriate attitudes and behaviors toward eating was 10% (as assessed by EAT-26), while the sub-clinical syndrome prevalence was 2,1 % (as evaluated by clinical examination). A considerable variability of not only attitudes and behaviors toward eating, but also of the diagnostic categories assumed for the research purposes was found during a 10-month follow-up period. The risk factors for eating disorders described in the literature were not confirmed by the author's research results. The prevalence of disturbed attitudes and behaviors toward eating in a sample of teenage secondary school students was under 1% (as assessed by EAT-26).