Knowledge Assessment of Anorexia Nervosa in Undergraduate Students

Abstract

In the United States alone there are approximately ten million females and as many as one million males who are living with an eating disorder (National Eating Disorders Association, 2005). A 2007 study reported that 2.2% of adolescents and young adults struggle with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) throughout the world; which translates to approximately 270 of every 100,000 individuals aged 15 to 19 (Keski-Rahkonen, Hoek, Susser, Linna, Sihvola, Raevuori, et al., 2007). This current study sought to determine the knowledge that college students have of AN because, according to the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH), they are the demographic most at risk for developing this eating disorder (2009). This researcher assessed students enrolled in a general psychology class at a small liberal arts college in the Northwest to conduct this study. The results of this study supported similar research that undergraduate college students have a general knowledge of AN but are lacking education relating to specific characteristics of AN.