Table 1 Summary of studies reporting eating disorder-related variables in the Arab world

Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Palestinians residing in al-Khalil, Syria, UAE

Musaiger et al., (2013) [26]

N = 4698, 2240 male, 2458 female, age 15–18

Cross sectional

EAT 26

Disturbed eating behavior: twice as high in females than in males in Jordan, Libya, Palestinians residing in al-Khalil and Syria

Disturbed eating behavior: (p < 0.000), males as reference

Jordan OR 2.96 [2.19–4.01]

Libya OR 2.02 [1.37–2.98]

Palestinians residing in al-Khalil OR 2.11 [1.39–3.22]

Syria OR 2.75 [2.02–3.77]

Bahrain

Al-Sendi, Shetty, & Musaiger (2004) [82]

N = 504, 249 male, 257 female, age 12–17

Cross sectional

FRS (self- developed)

Body dissatisfaction: female: 50%, male: 30%

not reported

Egypt

Ford, Dolan, & Evans (1990) [10]

N = 218, 61 male, mean age = 20.0, 169 female, mean age = 19.5, university students

Cross sectional

FRS (self- developed)

Thin ideal: female: ideal shape significantly thinner than their actual shape; male & female: preference for thinness

Discrepancy between current and ideal figure: t = 3.67, p = 0.001. Mean discrepancy: female 0.56–1.02, male − 0.02-1.00

M (SD) = Female current 3.75 (0.9), ideal 3.19 (0.9). Male current 4.18 (1.1), ideal 4.2 (0.7)

Jordan

Madanat, Hawks, & Angeles (2011) [83]

N = 800, female

Cross sectional

9- figure silhouettes

Body dissatisfaction: 66%

not reported

Jordan

Mousa, Mashal, Al-Domi, & Jibril (2010) [84]

N = 326, female, age: 10–16

Cross sectional

EAT 26

BSQ |Western norms

Body dissatisfaction: 21.2%. Association between EAT and BSQ.

BSQ: M (SD) = 79.1 (34.5), 21.2% above cutoff

χ2 (1, 326) = 104.8, p < 0.01

Jordan

Zawawi (2014) [85]

N = 170, female, age: 20–55, fitness center users

Cross sectional

BSQ

Body dissatisfaction: 31.01%

M (SD) = 3.19 (10.3)

Kuwait

Ebrahim, Alkazemi, Zafar, & Kubow (2019) [86]

N = 400, Male, university students

Cross sectional

Body Builder Image Grid

Body dissatisfaction: 69%, desire to lose body fat associated with disordered eating attitudes

OR = 1.898 [1.214–2.967], p = 0.005

Kuwait

Musaiger & Al- Mannai (2013) [26]

N = 228, female, university students, age 19–25

Cross sectional

Questions validated by Field et al., 2005, translated into Arabic

Body dissatisfaction: non-obese: 30%, obese: 81%. 21.6% of non-obese perceived themselves as overweight

not reported

Lebanon

Zeeni, Gharibeh, & Katsounari (2013) [23]

N = 400, female, university students in Cyprus (n = 200) and Lebanon (n = 200)

Cross sectional

Dutch eating behavior questionnaire

Association between restrained and emotional eating

M (SD): restrained = 29.20 (0.71), emotional eating = 37.76 (0.98), external eating = 33.33 (0.51), p < 0.05,

Qatar

Bener, Kamal, Tewfik, & Sabuncuoglu (2006) [35]

N = 800, male, age 14–19

Case control (dieting)

Adolescent dieting scale

Self- reporting questionnaire

Extreme dieting: 10.1%

not reported

Qatar

Musaiger, Shahbeek, & Al-Mannai (2004) [15]

N = 535, male, age 20–67, primary health care center visitors

Cross sectional

9- figure silhouettes

Desire to be thin: 21.6%, low education 40%, mid-level education 45%, high education 53%. Desire to be thin was associated with age and education

Thin ideal, education: p = 0.0001, age > 40 years p = 0.0001

Saudi Arabia

Al- Subaie (2000) [87]

N = 1179, female, mean age = 16.1

Cross sectional

EDI 2 DT

Desire to be thin: 15.9%

M = 6.7, SD not reported

Saudi Arabia

Fallatah, Al-Hemairy, & Al-Ghamidi (2015) [66]

N = 425,female, age 15–18

Cross sectional

EAT 26

Prevalence of dieting not reported

Dieting: 9.38 (7.0)

UAE

Eapen, Mabrouk, & bin Othman (2006) [20]

N = 495, female, age 13–18

Cross sectional

EAT 40

Thin ideal: 66% preferred a slimmer body than their actual body. Desire to be thin associated with elevated EAT 40 scores

p < 0.0001

Country

Authors (year)

Participants

Study design

Measures

Eating disorder-related variables

M (SD)/OR [95% C.I.]/ r

UAE

O’Hara et al., (2016) [74]

N = 420, female, mean age = 23.12, university students

Cross sectional

EAT 26

Teasing frequency from Project eating attitudes and teens

Weight and body related shame and guilt scale

Dieting associated with body dissatisfaction

r = 0.66, p < 0.001

UAE

Sawadi, Bener, & Darmaki (2000) [88]

N = 540, female, age 11–19

Cross sectional

Adolescent dieting scale

Dieting: 89.4% dieting, 9.1% extreme dieting

not reported

UAE

Schulte & Thomas (2013) [89]

N = 361, 284 female, 77 male, age 11–19, university students

Cross sectional

EAT 26

Body image dissatisfaction: 73%, female: 78%, male: 58%, body dissatisfaction associated with desire to be thin and elevated EAT score

Desire to be thin: χ2(2) = 27.083, p < 0.001, EAT: t(348), p < 0.001

UAE

Schulte (2016) [90]

N = 236, mean age = 19.78

Cross sectional

Body esteem scale, emotional eating scale, Weight and body related shame and guilt scale

Disturbed eating behavior and body dissatisfaction associated with binge eating

M (SD): body related shame = 8.00 (8.00), body related guilt = 11.50 (9.00). Associations with binge eating: disturbed eating behavior: p < 0.001, body dissatisfaction: p < 0.001

UAE

Thomas, Khan, & Abdulrahman (2010) [14]

N = 228, female, mean age = 19.8, university students

Cross sectional

EAT 26

FRS

Body dissatisfaction: 74.8%, association between body image dissatisfaction and disturbed eating behavior

r = 0.27, p = 0.01