Association between risk of eating disorders and an unhealthy lifestyle score in university students…

Cross-sectionalActa psychologica· Aug 2026

Association between risk of eating disorders and an unhealthy lifestyle score in university students: uniHcos project.

Leticia Martínez-González, Yoko Abigail Muñoz-Ramírez, Lorena Botella-Juan … UniHcos Project Working Group

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Eating DisordersCross-sectionalDiagnosisQ1IF 4.4

Each unhealthy-habit point raised odds of eating disorder risk 31% in men

Association between risk of eating disorders and an unhealthy lifestyle score in university students: uniHcos project.

Leticia Martínez-González … UniHcos Project Working Group

Acta psychologica · Aug 2026 · Q1 in General Medicine

Background

The first year of university is a critical period for the consolidation of lifestyle habits and has been associated with an increased risk of developing eating disorders (eating disorders).

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of eating disorders risk among first-year Spanish university students and to develop a composite score based on ten unhealthy lifestyle habits to explore its potential association with eating disorders risk.

Methods

A serial cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 11,500 university students.

n = 11,500 university students

Results

each extra unhealthy habit raises men's eating disorder risk odds 31 percent

Men

1.31OR

Women

1.23OR

More results

The overall prevalence of eating disorders risk was 21.4%, significantly higher in women (24.8%) than in men (12.3%).

The Unhealthy Habit Score ranged from 0 to 9 with a median of 3 and no significant sex differences.

Most lifestyle factors showed significant associations with eating disorders risk.

“

Conclusion · 1 of 2

The risk of eating disorders was high among first-year university students, particularly among women, and was associated with multiple unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

The Unhealthy Habit Score developed in this study could serve as a valuable tool for predicting eating disorders risk, especially in contexts where only general lifestyle information is available.

Association between risk of eating disorders and an unhealthy lifestyle score in university students: uniHcos project.

Association between risk of eating disorders and an unhealthy lifestyle score in university students: uniHcos project.

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