Sex differences in the experiences of Eating Disorder's
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative study investigating sex differences in experiences of having an Eating Disorder
IRAS ID
177235
Contact name
Saskia Keville
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Hertfordshire
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 0 days
Research summary
Eating disorder diagnosis is extremely high in women however low in men. This study aims to establish whether there are sex differences in body ideals and whether environmental and social factors occur. If so, are they a contributing factor to eating disorder diagnosis. A qualitative design will be employed to analyse experiences of men and women who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.The main aim of the study is to gather a refined understanding of experiences of having an eating disorder, in order to compare men and women's experiences, resulting in recurring themes in the data which provide explanation of what the varying experiences are and it is hoped that this will guide understanding as to why the ratio of men to women diagnosed with an eating disorder occurs. As the design is qualitative and an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis will be employed, the aims are less structured as the data is a driving force for the results (inductive approach). In this instance a less rigid set of aims results in results which are purely data driven and absent of influence by the researchers preconceptions of what will occur in the data.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0187
Date of REC Opinion
30 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion