Family functioning and factors associated with disordered eating behaviors in adolescents of baños de agua santa, Ecuador

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59169/pentaciencias.v8i3.1890

Keywords:

family functioning; disordered eating behaviors; adolescents; body image; Ecuador

Abstract

Disordered eating behaviors constitute a public health problem during adolescence, and the family has been identified as one of the contexts linked to their onset. The objective was to determine the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors and their associated factors among school-aged adolescents in Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador. An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted with 428 students aged 13 to 17 from a public secondary school, using non-probability convenience sampling. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale, the Eating Attitudes Test, and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Spearman correlation, and binary logistic regression were employed. Prevalence reached 21.3%, higher among girls (27.7%) than boys (15.5%). Family cohesion was inversely correlated with altered eating attitudes. Adolescents from disengaged families showed a greater likelihood of risk behaviors after adjusting for sex, age, and family history; however, this association was substantially attenuated once body dissatisfaction and weight-control behaviors were included, which emerged as the most strongly associated factors. Findings suggest that family influence would operate indirectly, through body image.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Asamblea Nacional del Ecuador. (2021). Ley Orgánica de Protección de Datos Personales. Registro Oficial No. 459, Quinto Suplemento. https://www.registroficial.gob.ec/quinto-suplemento-al-registro-oficial-no-459/

sociación Médica Mundial. (2024). Declaración de Helsinki de la AMM: Principios éticos para las investigaciones médicas con participantes humanos. https://www.wma.net/es/policies-post/declaracion-de-helsinki-de-la-amm-principios-eticos-para-las-investigaciones-medicas-en-seres-humanos/

Bravo Freire, M. D., & Rodríguez Pérez, M. L. (2025). Adicción a las redes sociales y riesgo de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria en adolescentes y adultos jóvenes. Revista Ecuatoriana de Psicología, 8(22), 326–342. https://doi.org/10.33996/repsi.v8i22.199

Canals, J., & Arija-Val, V. (2022). Factores de riesgo y estrategias de prevención en los trastornos de la alimentación. Nutrición Hospitalaria, 39(spe2), 16–26. https://doi.org/10.20960/nh.04174

Constaín, G. A., Ricardo-Ramírez, C., Rodríguez-Gázquez, M. Á., Álvarez-Gómez, M., Marín-Múnera, C., & Agudelo-Acosta, C. (2014). Validez y utilidad diagnóstica de la escala EAT-26 para la evaluación del riesgo de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria en población femenina de Medellín, Colombia. Atención Primaria, 46(6), 283–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aprim.2013.11.009

Cruzat, C. V., Ramírez, P., Melipillán, R., & Marzolo, P. (2008). Trastornos alimentarios y funcionamiento familiar percibido en una muestra de estudiantes secundarias de la Comuna de Concepción, Chile. Psykhe, 17(1), 81–90. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-22282008000100008

Escamilla-Gutiérrez, M. L., Cruz-Ramírez, N., Ramos-Hernández, B. K., Ramírez-Reséndiz, R. G., Arrieta-Villarreal, J. L., Guzmán-Saldaña, R., & Bosques-Brugada, L. E. (2024). Conductas alimentarias de riesgo, funcionamiento familiar, prácticas maternales y estilos de crianza en la díada madre-hijo. Revista Mexicana de Trastornos Alimentarios, 14(1), 65–75. https://doi.org/10.22201/fesi.20071523e.2024.1.764

Fernández-Soto, G., & Núñez-Barzola, J. C. (2023). Antropometría y hábitos alimentarios en adolescentes. MQRInvestigar, 7(3), 1425–1439. https://doi.org/10.56048/MQR20225.7.3.2023.1425-1439

Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P., Bohr, Y., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1982). The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychological Medicine, 12(4), 871–878. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700049163

González-Quiñones, J. C., Morales-Méndez, S. P., Calderón-Gutiérrez, S. P., Espinosa-Tafur, Y. M., Arias-Torres, S. J., Cely Ortegón, D. F., Pinilla-Fonseca, V. E., & Pinzón, J. A. (2023). Relación entre trastornos de conducta alimentaria, familia e ideación suicida en adolescentes escolarizados de Bogotá. Revista de Salud Pública, 25(4), 97129. https://doi.org/10.15446/rsap.V25n4.97129

Kroplewski, Z., Szcześniak, M., Furmańska, J., & Gójska, A. (2019). Assessment of family functioning and eating disorders: The mediating role of self-esteem. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 921. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00921

Minuchin, S., Rosman, B. L., & Baker, L. (1978). Psychosomatic families: Anorexia nervosa in context. Harvard University Press.

Olson, D. H. (2000). Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. Journal of Family Therapy, 22(2), 144–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.00144

Olson, D. H., Portner, J., & Lavee, Y. (1985). FACES III: Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales. Family Social Science, University of Minnesota.

Perkins, N. M., & Brausch, A. M. (2019). Body dissatisfaction and symptoms of bulimia nervosa prospectively predict suicide ideation in adolescents. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 52(8), 941–949. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23113

Ruíz, A., Vásquez, R., Mancilla, J., Lucio, M. E., & Aizpuru, A. (2012). Funcionamiento familiar en población clínica y población con riesgo de trastornos alimentarios. Revista Mexicana de Trastornos Alimentarios, 3(2), 121–132. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=425741618005

Sádaba, C. (2024). Redes sociales, adolescencia y trastornos de la conducta alimentaria: la necesidad de una mirada comprehensiva. Anales del Sistema Sanitario de Navarra, 47(1). https://doi.org/10.23938/ASSN.1075

Unikel-Santoncini, C., Bojórquez-Chapela, I., & Carreño-García, S. (2004). Validación de un cuestionario breve para medir conductas alimentarias de riesgo. Salud Pública de México, 46(6), 509–515. http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-36342004000600005&lng=es&tlng=es.

Published

2026-09-08

How to Cite

Valverde Sánchez, M. E., & Faz Tapia, A. . (2026). Family functioning and factors associated with disordered eating behaviors in adolescents of baños de agua santa, Ecuador. Revista Científica Arbitrada Multidisciplinaria PENTACIENCIAS - ISSN 2806-5794., 8(3), 543–558. https://doi.org/10.59169/pentaciencias.v8i3.1890

Issue

Section

Artículos originales