Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
8-2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph. D.
Department
Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences
Degree Program
Public Health Sciences with a specialization in Health Promotion, PhD
Committee Chair
LaJoie, A. Scott
Committee Member
Jones, Jr., Gaberiel
Committee Member
Little, Bert
Committee Member
King, Kristi
Author's Keywords
NHANES; disordered eating behaviors; young adults; 18 – 24 years; body satisfaction; weight stigma; BMI
Abstract
Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are influenced by biological, social, and psychological factors, yet research often narrowly focuses on White, college-aged women. This study assessed the predictors and prevalence of DEBs in a nationally representative sample of U.S. young adults using data from the 2015–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Survey weights were applied to generate national estimates. Descriptive statistics characterized the sample, and logistic regressions tested biological, social, and psychological predictors of DEBs. A composite risk score was developed using variables retained in the final model. The unweighted sample (n = 1,062) represented 64 million U.S. young adults. Elevated BMI (OR = 1.17, 95% CI [1.10, 1.24]) and low body weight satisfaction (OR = 0.32, 95% CI [0.21, 0.50]) predicted DEB engagement. Social factors such as income and education were not independently associated after adjustment. Stratified models showed that BMI and body weight satisfaction predicted DEBs similarly across racial groups, challenging assumptions about at-risk individuals. The final risk model demonstrated strong discriminative ability (AUC = 0.82), with 60.6% sensitivity and 83.9% specificity. These findings highlight the stronger role of biological and psychological factors, particularly body weight dissatisfaction, in predicting DEBs compared to social variables. The developed risk score can support early detection efforts, especially in high-risk environments such as military or athletic settings. Incorporating biological and psychological indicators into screening tools may improve the identification of at-risk individuals and inform targeted prevention strategies across diverse young adult populations.
Recommended Citation
Gerbine, Samantha Kaye, "The influence of psychological, biological, and social determinants on disordered eating behaviors among U.S. young adults: Evidence from Nhanes 2015-2018." (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4633.
Retrieved from https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/4633
