Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine the role of body composition, body dissatisfaction, and thinness model on the risk of developing eating disorders (ED). The sample comprised 289 female students who answered the Eating Attitudes Test, the Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh, and the Questionnaire on Influences on Body Shape Model. The body composition was assessed by electrical impedance. The results showed that the risk for having an ED was found in 9.69% of women, and the percentage was high among normal weight women, especially women who had excessive body fat. The body dissatisfaction predicted the risk for anorexia nervosa, and the interaction between body dissatisfaction, influence of advertisement and body mass index predicted the risk for bulimia nervosa. These findings suggest that the role of body dissatisfaction was relevant to predict the risk for ED.
