Abstract

Eating disorders are a major source of physical and psychosocial morbidity among young women. The present study was two-fold; one was to confirm if such eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia which have plagued the developed western world have engulfed the women of Nigeria and to identify young Nigerian female students most at risk of subsequently developing an eating disorder. Anorexia and bulimia have for long been considered a western disorder or the disorder of the developed world but the results obtained clearly indicate that assumption is incorrect. 58% of the students involved in this study indicated a predisposition to two eating disorders namely: anorexia and bulimia.

Key words: Eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, Nigerian, female students.