Background The prevalence of eating disorders has been assumed to be low in the Arab world, due to the alleged absence of the thin ideal. However, the Arab world is undergoing rapid sociocultural changes, and there are reports of an increase of the desire to be thin. This literature review therefore provides point-prevalence of Arabs at high risk for eating disorders, and a comprehensive synthesis of correlates of eating disorder symptoms, eating disorder-related variables and of a high risk for eating disorders. Method Several electronic databases were searched for published, peer-reviewed studies between 1986 and 2019 involving several key terms. From 317 screened studies, 81, mainly cross-sectional, were included. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and meta-analyses was used as guidance and the quality of studies were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results Estimates of individuals at high risk for eating disorders ranged from 2 to 54.8%. The eating disorder-related variables identified were desire to be thin, body dissatisfaction, disturbed-, and dieting- eating behavior. Identified correlates were increased affluence, media use, western influences, and obesity. An additional finding was that in some cases eating disorders were expressed somatically rather than psychiatrically. Discussion In the Arab world, females were most at risk for eating disorders and eating disorder symptoms. Sociocultural changes gave rise to the thin ideal and the prevalence of obesity, increasing the risk for the development of eating disorder-related variables and eating disorders. The literature on eating disorders in the Arab world suffers from potential limitations due to the use of non-validated assessment tools. Further research is necessary, particularly on the development and validation of a culturally sensitive assessment tool. Improved knowledge is likely to increase the number of people seeking treatment and decrease the stigma of psychotherapy.

中文翻译：

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阿拉伯世界的饮食失调：文献综述

背景 由于据称缺乏瘦身理想，阿拉伯世界的饮食失调患病率被认为较低。然而，阿拉伯世界正在经历快速的社会文化变革，有报道称人们对瘦身的渴望有所增加。因此，这篇文献综述提供了阿拉伯人饮食失调高风险的点患病率，以及饮食失调症状、饮食失调相关变量和饮食失调高风险的相关因素的综合综合。方法 检索了多个电子数据库，查找 1986 年至 2019 年间发表的、经过同行评审的研究，涉及多个关键术语。从 317 项筛选研究中，纳入了 81 项，主要是横断面研究。系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目被用作指导，并使用纽卡斯尔-渥太华量表评估研究质量。结果 饮食失调高风险人群的估计范围为 2% 至 54.8%。确定的与饮食失调相关的变量包括渴望变瘦、对身体不满意、饮食失调和节食行为。已确定的相关因素包括富裕程度的增加、媒体使用、西方影响和肥胖。另一项发现是，在某些情况下，饮食失调表现为躯体症状，而不是精神症状。讨论 在阿拉伯世界，女性最容易出现饮食失调和饮食失调症状。社会文化的变化导致了瘦身理想和肥胖的流行，增加了饮食失调相关变量和饮食失调的风险。由于使用未经验证的评估工具，有关阿拉伯世界饮食失调的文献存在潜在的局限性。有必要进行进一步的研究，特别是在文化敏感评估工具的开发和验证方面。知识的提高可能会增加寻求治疗的人数并减少心理治疗的耻辱。