1. Eating behavior, attitudes and awareness levels among undergraduate students in 2 Arab countries Psychology in the Arab Region: Between Adversity and Resilience Oct 8 – 10, 2015, Lebanon Jeremy Alford, PhD Sabrina Tahboub-Schulte, PhD Rayane Chami, MSc

2. Background Eating Disorders (ED): no more Western-bound syndrome Little ED research in Arab countries BUT: Existing data indicate concern over disturbed eating behaviors, attitudes and body image o Swadi et al. (2000): 90% confirmed dieting o Eapen et al. (2006): 25% showed disturbed eating patterns o Thomas et al. (2010): 75% showed body dissatisfaction o Schulte & Thomas (2013): 73% = body dissatisfied

3. Methods Objective: To examine eating behavior, attitudes and related awareness levels in undergraduate students Collaborative multi-site study N=397 female students Cross-sectional survey design Measurements: EAT-26 and EDAT Example items: Eat-26: I avoid eating when I am hungry. / I like my stomach to be empty. EDAT: Dieting increases concentration and energy. / Dieting increases the risk of developing an eating disorder.

4. Results Average EAT-26 scores

5. Results % above EAT-26 cutoff score of 20

6. Results % above EAT cutoff scores Comparison with past research

7. Results EDAT Less than 50% got half of all EDAT items right EAT & EDAT No statistically significant correlation (p=.224) for merged Lebanon & UAE sample BUT: in UAE sample alone, a statistically significant positive correlation (p=.003) was found UAE Lebanon

8. Discussion Results match previous prevalence findings Highlight that eating disturbances of concern in the region Awareness of eating disorders and eating/dieting- related knowledge seems low EDAT’s validity

9. Next Steps More research needed: More prevalence data to build regional database on eating disorders in the Middle East Modification of EDAT to increase cultural sensitivity and validity Intervention-focused, longitudinal studies – Can provision of tailored knowledge about eating disorders combined with action-oriented psychoeducation reduce abnormal eating attitudes and behavior?  Awareness study that integrates workshops on relevant issues with pre- and post-testing More funding needed!

10. Thank you for listening. Questions, comments or thoughts?