Epidemiology of eating disordered symptoms in the Korean general population using a Korean version of the Eating Attitudes Test

Objective: The purposes of the present study were to estimate the proportion of subjects with a high score on the Korean version of Eating Attitudes Test-26 (KEAT-26), which may provide preliminary data regarding the prevalence rate of eating disorders in the Korean general population, and to further examine the sociocultural hypothesis of eating disorders. Method: Using a multi-stage questionnaire sampling method, we surveyed 3062 subjects (1249 males, 1813 females) from 3896 Korean adults in a nationwide area. Results: 8.5% (260/3062) of subjects scored above the cut-off on the KEAT-26. Their demographic correlates, eating traits, and other characteristics relating to general psychopathology were similar to those of patients with eating disorders and female Caucasian controls in Western countries. Discussion: These results suggest that changes in various sociocultural aspects have increased the risk of developing eating disorders in Korea, and support the sociocultural hypothesis of eating disorders.