Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T17:26:30.377Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 5 - Healthy Bodies, Body Image Concerns, Eating Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2024

Jane Morris
Jane Morris
Affiliation:
University of Aberdeen
Get access

Summary

This wide ranging chapter examines the relationship of mental health with physical aspects of behaviour such as exercise, eating and sleeping and the consequences of dysregulation for both academic success and mental health. The loss of home and school structures at a time of continued physical and brain development puts the student age group at high risk of dysregulation-related disorders, including the so-called ‘eating disorders’. The author discusses benefits of restoring institutional structures such as canteens and adolescent-friendly timetabling. Physical activity, including outdoor activity is important for physical and mental health of all students and staff, and not just a competitive activity for the prestige of an institution. Universities will inevitably host many young people with eating disorders, given the demographic involved. The UK is underprovided with specialist eating disorders services, so that universities may need to develop expertise to support young adults in association with NHS clinics. However, eating disorders can affect people of any age or gender. Staff as well as students may experience these conditions and should be offered services where their privacy is protected.

Keywords

Student mental healthphysical activity and mental healthsleep and mental healthbody image disorderslecture times and mental healtheating disordersUniversity mental health transition to universityuniversity staff mental healthstudent alcohol use student social media mental health
Type
Chapter
Information
Improving University Mental Health , pp. 54 - 71
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aceijas, C., Bello-Corassa, R., WaldhäuslN, S., Lambert, N. & Cassar, S. (2016). Barriers and determinants of physical activity among UK university students: Carmen Aceijas. European Journal of Public Health, 26(suppl_1), ckw174.255.Google Scholar
Attia, E., Steinglass, J. E., Walsh, B. T., et al. (2019). Olanzapine versus placebo in adult outpatients with anorexia nervosa: A randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 176(6), 449–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Belogianni, K., Ooms, A., Lykou, A. & Moir, H. J. (2022). Nutrition knowledge among university students in the UK: A cross-sectional study. Public Health Nutrition, 25(10), 2834–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calzo, J. P., Blashill, A. J., Brown, T. A. & Argenal, R. L. (2017). Eating disorders and disordered weight and shape control behaviors in sexual minority populations. Current Psychiatry Reports, 19(8), 1–10.Google Scholar
Dunbar, R. I. M. (2017). Breaking bread: the functions of social eating. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 3(3), 198–211.Google Scholar
Eddy, K. T., Tabri, N., Thomas, J. J., et al. (2017). Recovery from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa at 22-year follow-up. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 78(2), 17085.Google Scholar
El Ansari, W., Stock, C., Phillips, C., et al. (2011). Does the association between depressive symptomatology and physical activity depend on body image perception? A survey of students from seven universities in the UK. International journal of environmental research and public health, 8(2), 281–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferguson, C. J., Muñoz, M. E., Garza, A. & Galindo, M. (2014). Concurrent and prospective analyses of peer, television and social media influences on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms and life satisfaction in adolescent girls. Journal of youth and adolescence, 43(1), 1–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Franko, D. L., Tabri, N., Keshaviah, A., et al. (2018). Predictors of long-term recovery in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: Data from a 22-year longitudinal study. Journal of psychiatric research, 96, 183–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fukutomi, A., Austin, A., McClelland, J., et al. (2020). First episode rapid early intervention for eating disorders: A two‐year follow‐up. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 14(1), 137–41.Google Scholar
Fulkerson, J. A., Story, M., Mellin, A., Leffert, N., Neumark-Sztainer, D. & French, S. A. (2006). Family dinner meal frequency and adolescent development: Relationships with developmental assets and high-risk behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39(3), 337–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gillberg, C. (1983). Are autism and anorexia nervosa related? The British Journal of Psychiatry, 142(4), 428.Google Scholar
Girlguiding UK (2020). Girls attitudes survey. www.girlguiding.org.uk/globalassets/docs-and-resources/research-and-campaigns/girls-attitudes-survey-2020.pdfGoogle Scholar
Groth, T., Hilsenroth, M., Boccio, D. & Gold, J. (2020). Relationship between trauma history and eating disorders in adolescents. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 13(4), 443–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hasken, J., Kresl, L., Nydegger, T. & Temme, M. (2010) Diabulimia and the role of school health personnel. Journal of School Health, 80(10), 465–69.Google Scholar
Hoek, H. W. (2006). Incidence, prevalence and mortality of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders. Current opinion in psychiatry, 19(4), 389–94.Google Scholar
Kandola, A., Ashdown-Franks, G., Hendrikse, J., Sabiston, C. M. & Stubbs, B. (2019). Physical activity and depression: Towards understanding the antidepressant mechanisms of physical activity. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 107, 525–39.Google Scholar
Keys, A. (1946). Human starvation and its consequences. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 22(7), 582–7.Google Scholar
Kim, H. S., von Ranson, K. M., Hodgins, D. C., McGrath, D. S. & Tavares, H. (2018). Demographic, psychiatric, and personality correlates of adults seeking treatment for disordered gambling with a comorbid binge/purge type eating disorder. European Eating Disorders Review, 26(5), 508–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klaiber, P., Whillans, A. V. & Chen, F. S. (2018). Long-term health implications of students’ friendship formation during the transition to university. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being, 10(2), 290–308 https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12131Google Scholar
Koch, S. V., Larsen, J. T., Mouridsen, S. E., et al. (2015). Autism spectrum disorder in individuals with anorexia nervosa and in their first-and second-degree relatives: Danish nationwide register-based cohort-study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 206(5), 401-7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
León, E., Tabares, M., Baile, J. I., Salazar, J. G. & Zepeda, A. P. (2022). Eating behaviors associated with weight gain among university students worldwide and treatment interventions: A systematic review. Journal of American College Health, 1–8.Google Scholar
Li, Z., Halls, D., Byford, S. & Tchanturia, K. (2022). Autistic characteristics in eating disorders: Treatment adaptations and impact on clinical outcomes. European Eating Disorders Review, 30(5), 671–90.Google Scholar
Lock, J. & Le Grange, D. (2015). Treatment manual for anorexia nervosa: A family-based approach. Guilford publications.Google Scholar
Mabe, A. G., Forney, K. J. & Keel, P. K. (2014). Do you “like” my photo? Facebook use maintains eating disorder risk. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47(5), 516–23.Google Scholar
Marx, R., Tanner‐Smith, E. E., Davison, C. M., et al. (2017). Later school start times for supporting the education, health, and well‐being of high school students: a systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 13(1), 1–99.Google Scholar
Murray, S. B. (2019). Updates in the treatment of eating disorders in 2018: A year in review in Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention. Eating Disorders, 27(1), 6–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2017). Eating disorders: Recognition and treatment. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG69Google Scholar
Root, T. L., Pinheiro, A. P., Thornton, L., et al. (2010). Substance use disorders in women with anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 43(1), 14–21.Google Scholar
Rouse, P. C. & Biddle, S. J. H. (2010). An ecological momentary assessment of the physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns of university students. Health Education Journal, 69(1), 116–25.Google Scholar
Royal College of Psychiatrists (2017). Managing transitions when the patient has an eating disorder: Guidance for good practice (CR208). www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/better-mh-policy/college-reports/college-report-cr208.pdfGoogle Scholar
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (2022). Eating disorders. SIGN. sign.ac.uk/our-guidelines/eating-disordersGoogle Scholar
Serra, R., Kiekens, G., Vanderlinden, J., et al. (2020). Binge eating and purging in first‐year college students: Prevalence, psychiatric comorbidity, and academic performance. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(3), 339–48.Google Scholar
Sprake, E. F., Russell, J. M., Cecil, J. E., et al. (2018). Dietary patterns of university students in the UK: A cross-sectional study. Nutrition Journal, 17(1), 1–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stice, E., Gau, J. M., Rohde, P. & Shaw, H. (2017). Risk factors that predict future onset of each DSM–5 eating disorder: Predictive specificity in high-risk adolescent females. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 126(1), 38.Google Scholar
Stoyel, H., Slee, A., Meyer, C. & Serpell, L. (2020). Systematic review of risk factors for eating psychopathology in athletes: A critique of an etiological model. European Eating Disorders Review, 28(1), 3–25.Google Scholar
Swinnerton, L., Moldovan, A. A., Mann, C. M., Durrant, S. J. & Mireku, M. O. (2021). Lecture start time and sleep characteristics: Analysis of daily diaries of undergraduate students from the LoST-Sleep project. Sleep Health, 7(5), 565–71.Google Scholar
Tan, J., Corciova, S. & Nicholls, D.E. (2019). Going too far? How the public health anti-obesity drives could cause harm by promoting eating disorders. In Cratsley, K. & Radden, J. (eds) Developments in Neuroethics and Bioethics (pp. 235–64).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vadeboncoeur, C., Foster, C. & Townsend, N. (2016). Freshman 15 in England: A longitudinal evaluation of first year university student’s weight change. BMC Obesity, 3, 1–9.Google Scholar
Vögele, C., Lutz, A. P. C. & Gibson, E. L. (2018). Mood, emotions, and eating disorders. In: Agras, W. S. & Robinson, A. (eds) The Oxford handbook of eating disorders (pp. 155–86). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Watson, H. J., Yilmaz, Z., Thornton, L. M., et al. (2019). Genome-wide association study identifies eight risk loci and implicates metabo-psychiatric origins for anorexia nervosa. Nature Genetics, 51(8), 1207–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×