"Drunkorexia": Understanding eating and physical activity behaviors of weight conscious drinkers in a sample of college students

• Published in: Journal of American college health Vol. 65; no. 7; pp. 492 - 501
• Main Authors: Wilkerson, Amanda H., Hackman, Christine L., Rush, Sarah E., Usdan, Stuart L., Smith, Corinne S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 03.10.2017; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Alcohol; Alcohol Abuse; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; At Risk Students; Body Composition; Body image; Body mass index; Body Weight; College Students; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; disordered eating; Drinking; Drinking behavior; drunkorexia; Eating behavior; Eating Disorders; Eating Habits; Exercise; Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology; Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology; Female; Fraternities; Health Behavior; Humans; Intention; Male; Physical activity; Physical Activity Level; Predictor Variables; Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Self Concept; Sororities; Statistical Analysis; Student Behavior; Student Surveys; Students - statistics & numerical data; Universities; Weight Loss; Young Adult; Alcohol; disordered eating; college students; drunkorexia; physical activity
• ISSN: 0744-8481; 1940-3208
• DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2017.1344848

Objective: Behaviors of weight conscious drinkers (BWCD) include disordered eating, excessive physical activity (PA), and heavy episodic drinking. Considering that approximately 25% of the college students report BWCD, it is important to investigate what characteristics increase the likelihood of college students engaged in BWCD for both moderate and vigorous PAs. Participants: A total of 510 college students were recruited from a large, public southeastern university. Methods: Participants completed a cross-sectional survey during the spring 2015 semester. Results: Of 510 respondents, 11.2% reported moderate PA-based BWCD and 14.7% reported vigorous PA-based BWCD. Weight loss intention, BMI and Greek affiliation predicted both moderate and vigorous BWCD. Conclusions: Study findings suggest that Greek-affiliated students and students with weight loss intentions might be at an increased risk for BWCD. Along with promoting lower levels of alcohol consumption, college practitioners should consider discussing issues of weight and body image with college students as they relate to maladaptive drinking behavior.