“Drunkorexia”: Exploring the Who and Why of a Disturbing Trend in College Students’ Eating and Drinking Behaviors

Abstract

Abstract. Objective: “Drunkorexia,” limiting food intake before alcohol consumption, increases college students’ risk for negative alcohol-related health consequences. The current study tested whether (1) women engage in drunkorexia more frequently than men; (2) weight control motivations explain sex differences in drunkorexia; and (3) among women, weight control motivations are a particularly strong predictor of drunkorexia for heavier drinkers. Participants: Undergraduate males and females (N = 63) recruited during fall of 2011. Methods: Participants self-reported their alcohol consumption, drunkorexia, and weight control motivations online. Results: Findings supported hypotheses: weight control motivations explained why women engage in drunkorexia more than men; and the weight control motivation → drunkorexia relation was strongest for heavier- (vs lighter-) drinking women. Conclusion: Women have more weight concerns than men, which makes them more likely to engage in drunkorexia. Heavy-drinking women with strong weight control motivations are at greatest risk for drunkorexia. Interventions should help students more safely reconcile pressures to be thin and drink alcohol.

Keywords:

• alcohol
• gender
• nutrition

FUNDING

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of George Washington University.

NOTE

For comments and further information, address correspondence to Miriam H. Eisenberg, 1638 Beekman Place, NW, Apt. A, Washington, DC 20009, USA (e-mail: [email protected]).