Food Insecurity and Disordered Eating Among University Students: A Cross-National Examination Across Low/Middle- and High-Income Countries

Morales, C, Bodell, LP, Drury, CR, Keenan, G ORCID: 0000-0002-3940-7401, Kolar, DR, McGale, L, Mebarak Chams, M, Mikhail, ME, O'Connor, S, Pink, AE, Rezappa, T, Sahlan, RN, Turk, F, Acet, P, Akay, N, Karagulut, G, Mendoza, J and Reilly, E Food Insecurity and Disordered Eating Among University Students: A Cross-National Examination Across Low/Middle- and High-Income Countries. Clinical Psychological Science. ISSN 2167-7026 (Accepted)

Text Food Insecurity and Disordered Eating Among University Students_A Cross-National Examination Across Low-Middle- and High-Income Countries.pdf - Accepted Version Access Restricted Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB)

Abstract

Food insecurity (FI), or a lack of consistent access to affordable, nutritious food, increases risk for eating disorder (ED) symptoms, though this research has primarily been conducted in the United States. The current study recruited 3,373 university students across thirteen universities in seven countries differing in economic status to examine FI and ED symptoms cross-nationally. Greater FI was significantly associated with higher binge eating, purging, excessive exercise, muscle building and body dissatisfaction across the sample, though effect sizes were small. FI and country economic status interacted to predict ED behaviors, with binge eating more strongly associated with FI in low-/middle-income countries, and opposing associations observed for cognitive restraint and muscle building. Findings highlight the importance of a country’s broader economic context in associations between FI and ED symptoms and can inform university campus efforts to address the mental health consequences of financial inequality across global contexts.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1701 Psychology; 5201 Applied and developmental psychology; 5203 Clinical and health psychology; 5205 Social and personality psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education T Technology > TX Home economics > TX341 Nutrition. Foods and food supply
Divisions:	Psychology (from Sep 2019)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Date of acceptance:	8 September 2026
Date Deposited:	20 Oct 2026 13:11
Last Modified:	20 Oct 2026 13:11
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29712

View Item