I am eager to participate in this forum as an aspiring researcher in nutrition and dietetics focusing on food and metabolism diseases driven by a deep passion for scientific innovations and discoveries. This HKL forum provides opportunities to engage laureates, exchange ideas with young scientists, and widen my horizons regarding global scientific challenges. As a fourth-year PhD student and a former senior Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with the foremost hospital in Africa, the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Throughout my research experience, I have developed a keen interest in global health and nutrition, which drives me to pursue a more profound investigation of food addiction, disorder eating, diabetes and mental health.
Beyond this, I am dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge dissemination. The HKL forum will allow me to learn more because I think science flourishes in an environment where ideas are freely shared. The Hong Kong Laureate forum will not just be an opportunity for me. Still, it will transform me professionally and academically and empower me to contribute meaningfully to the global scientific community.

The prevalence of eating disorders (ED) and diabetes mellitus (DM), encompassing both type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), has been observed to exhibit a bidirectional relationship. The complex relationship can adversely impact an individual's quality of life. However, there is a paucity of studies investigating the prevalence of such health complications in Africa. Against this background, this study evaluated the prevalence of eating disorders among diabetes mellitus patients and assessed associations between eating disorders and a range of potential risk factors using the SCOFF questionnaire.
Patients living with diabetes and being managed at University College Hospital were recruited to fill out a questionnaire on eating disorders using the Scoff Scale, and socio-demographic data were collected.
The vast majority (81.2%) of the study participants had an eating disorder, among which about 59.8% of the females had the condition, and 41.6% of the participants were overweight. Multivariable analysis indicated that the odds of eating disorders in the female participants were 2.17 times higher (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.31 - 3.58%) compared to male participants.
The findings show that eating disorders are highly prevalent in diabetic patients, which can expose them to complications of diabetes.