Association between beliefs about healthy lifestyle behaviors and the risk of eating disorders among health sciences students at a private university in Metropolitan Lima, 2025

Introduction: Eating disorders (ED) are an increasing problem among university students, particularly those in Health Sciences programs, who may exhibit greater self-demands regarding healthy habits. Beliefs about lifestyle practices may influence the adoption of risky eating behaviors. Objective: To determine the association between beliefs about healthy lifestyle practices and the risk of ED among students at a private university in Lima, 2025. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in 161 university students. Two instruments were used: the Healthy Lifestyle Beliefs Questionnaire and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Descriptive analyses and inferential tests (Fisher’s exact test) were applied. Cramer’s V was calculated to determine effect size. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Among healthy lifestyle belief dimensions, only “Alcohol, tobacco, and drug consumption” was significantly associated with ED risk (p = 0.03; V = 0.21), while the other dimensions showed no significant association. Most students reported “High” or “Very high” beliefs regarding physical activity (70.2%) and recreation (77.6%), while self-care (37.9%), eating habits (67.7%), and substance use (50.9%) showed “Low” values. Overall, 26.7% of students presented a risk of ED. Conclusion: Students show generally favorable healthy lifestyle beliefs; however, weaknesses persist in key lifestyle dimensions. The presence of ED risk in more than one-quarter of the sample highlights the need to strengthen preventive strategies focused on self-care, mental health, and reducing risk behaviors.