Investigating eating disorder literacy among female university students and developing a preventive education program

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K21569
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Applied health science; Clinical psychology
• Research Institution: Nagasaki Junior College (2016-2017); Nagasaki International University (2015)
• Principal Investigator: Nishida Eri 長崎短期大学, その他部局等, 講師(移行) (50389516)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 摂食障害 / 若年女性 / メンタルヘルスリテラシー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study’s goal was to assess the level of eating disorder literacy among Japanese female university students, and to create an educational program for early detection and prevention based on the findings.
We administered an eating disorder literacy questionnaire that applied the vignette technique to Japanese women attending four- or two-year university programs. The response rate was 59.8% (851/1424). Students were found to be fairly illiterate about eating disorders. While most were familiar with the diseases by name, few recognized them as psychological disorders that require treatment. This informs us that preventive programs must first and foremost ensure that participants are given the right information about eating disorders.

Free Research Field

食育・食生活・食行動