5 - (SYM 45) Assessing Eating Disorder Symptoms in College Students with versus Without Food Insecurity

Research on eating pathology has historically excluded individuals experiencing food insecurity (FI). Nonetheless, burgeoning research suggests that the risk of developing eating pathology is equal or heightened for individuals with FI vs. food security (FS). This suggests a critical need to examine how eating disorders symptoms (EDS) present for individuals with FI to adequately inform and adapt treatment for this population. 363 university students were dichotomized into FI (n=65; M_age=19.50±1.86; M_BMI =23.7±5.25; Female=79.7%; Black=10.3%, Latinx=30.8%, Asian=12.1%, American Indian/Alaska Native=3.4%, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander=3.4%; White=53.4%) and FS (n=298; M_age=19.50±1.78;M_BMI=22.7±3.76; Female=83.2%; Black=7.0%, Latinx=17.4%, Asian=19.6%, White=70.1%) groups based on the U.S. Food Security Survey Module and assessed on EDS (EDE-Q & EDDS-V). Independent samples t-tests and X² analyses were conducted to assess differences in EDS by group. No differences emerged by EDS domains (dietary restraint, weight, shape, or eating concerns) or on items assessing fear of weight gain or self-judgment related to weight/shape in the past 3 months (ps >.05). However, individuals with FI endorsed more days eating “unusually large” amounts of food with loss of control (LOC; M_FI =2.49, M_FS =1.28, d=.48, p=.02), fasting to prevent weight gain or counteract effects of eating (M_FI =2.66, M_FS =1.50, d=.37, p=.03), and engaging in excessive exercise (M_FI =2.03,M_FS =1.06, d=.37, p=.03) but not self-induced vomiting, laxatives or diuretics use (ps >.05) to counteract effects of overeating. Results suggest that college students with FI and FS endorse similar patterns of shape, weight, and eating concerns; restraint; and purging behaviors. However, students with FI report more frequent fasting, eating “unusually large” amounts of food with LOC, and excessive exercise. These results are consistent with prior research suggesting similar, if not elevated, rates of EDS for individuals with FI and show that increased attention to FI is critically needed within the eating disorder field. However, the present study assesses EDS as they relate to weight/shape concerns, but not as related to food availability concerns, though the latter may uniquely contribute to EDS. Future research should disentangle these constructs and examine important moderators of these relationships (racial identity, SES, etc.) to aid in adapting traditional treatment structures for EDS for individuals with FI; an aim of ongoing research by the authors.