Secular trends in eating attitudes and behaviours in children and adolescents aged 10–18 years in Cyprus: A 6-year follow-up, school-based study

SummaryObjectiveTo assess the eating attitudes and behaviours of the Cypriot adolescent population at national level, and evaluate secular trends between 2003 and 2010.Study designA representative sample of children and adolescents aged 10–18 years participated in a school-based, cross-sectional study during the academic years 2003–2004 and 2009–2010.MethodsParticipants completed the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3) questionnaires at school.ResultsAlmost one in three females and one in five males scored above normal (≥20) on the EAT-26. No change in the frequency of pathological scoring was found for the drive for thinness or body dissatisfaction subscales of the EDI-3 between 2003 and 2010. However, there was a significant increase in the frequency of pathological scoring for the bulimia subscale for both genders. Females consistently scored higher than males on most scales.ConclusionDisordered eating attitudes are common, with a worrisome increasing trend in bulimia among adolescents in Cyprus. There is an urgent need for intervention.