Evaluation of the relationship between eating disorder, eating behavior and body perception and nutritional status of individuals between 18-25 years of age appliing to a center

The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between eating disorders, eating behavior and body perception and nutritional status of individuals between the ages of 18-25. The study was conducted with individuals aged 18-25 who applied to a private nutrition and dietetics consultancy office in Istanbul between July 1, 2022 and November 1, 2022 and agreed to participate in the study and answered the questions completely. A total of 77 individuals, 81.8% (n=63) of whom were women, participated in the study. It was determined that the current body weight of women was on average 12.2±10.73 kg higher than the body weight they thought was ideal for themselves, and that of men was 3.4±7.81 kg on average. It was determined that the difference between these two averages was statistically significant (p<0.05), and it was observed that women evaluated their body weight as higher than the ideal compared to men. In TFEQ, women; The total mean score they received from the cognitive restriction and emotional eating factors was seen to be higher than the mean score of men, and the difference between these mean scores was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). According to EAT-26, it was determined that 31.2% of the participants (F: 34.9% (n=22), M: 14.3% (n=2)) had impaired eating behavior. According to EAT-26, it was determined that the energy, fat and carbohydrate consumption of participants without ED was statistically significantly higher than that of individuals with ED (p <0.05). Participants' BMI and body weight show a positive correlation with their uncontrolled eating and emotional eating scores (p<0.05). It was found statistically significant that the EAT-26 average score of individuals who were satisfied with their body weight (11.6±10.31) was lower than that of individuals who were not satisfied with their body weight (17.9±11.07) (p<0.05). It was observed that there was a positive correlation between the participants' eating preoccupation and BMI (r= 0.320, p<0.05). In conclusion; It is an important data that 31.2% of individuals applying to a nutrition and dietetics consultancy office have ED. This data shows that professionals working in this field should approach this issue carefully and consciously. Excess BMI, impaired eating behavior, negative body image, presence of diet history, female gender and young age should be carefully evaluated by nutritionists in terms of ED risk, and the nutritional status of individuals should be determined. Key Words: Body image, eating behavior, eating disorders