Premium
Problem eating attitudes and behaviors in young children
Author(s) -
Kelly Cherene,
Ricciardelli Lina A.,
Clarke John D.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199904)25:3<281::aid-eat5>3.0.co;2-t
Subject(s) - dieting , psychology , developmental psychology , overweight , eating attitudes test , disordered eating , emotional eating , eating behavior , eating disorders , clinical psychology , obesity , weight loss , medicine
Objective The factor structure of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) and the predictors of problem eating were examined in young boys and girls. Methods Two hundred and twenty eight children from Grades 2 and 4 completed questionnaires which examined problem eating attitudes and behaviors, body image, and self‐concepts. Results Four factors were found for girls and boys. The girls' four factors, Dieting, Food Preoccupation, Social Pressure to Eat, and Restricting and Purging, corresponded closely to previous studies with older girls and women. Four different factors were found for the boys, Global Problems, Dieting versus Purging, Dieting and Food Preoccupation, and Emotional Eating. However, dieting behaviors in both girls and boys were predicted by poorer body image and in boys emotional concerns about eating were predicted by poorer body image and lower self‐concepts. Discussion There is still relatively little research that has examined problem eating attitudes and behaviors of boys and men. As boys tend to report infrequent dieting, we may need to focus more on the emotional concerns about eating and becoming overweight as a potential indicator of eating problems in boys. © 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 25: 281–286, 1999.