Premium
A longitudinal study of the development of dieting among 7–17‐year‐old Swedish girls
Author(s) -
Halvarsson Klara,
Lunner Katarina,
Westerberg Josefin,
Anteson Frida,
Sjödén PerOlow
Publication year - 2002
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/eat.10004
Subject(s) - dieting , cohort , psychology , longitudinal study , demography , developmental psychology , cohort study , gerontology , medicine , obesity , weight loss , endocrinology , pathology , sociology
Objective To examine the extent to which the prevalence of self‐reported dieting and the wish to be thinner changed in 7–15‐year‐old girls over a 3‐year period, and to explore potential differences between cohorts recruited in 1995 and 1999. In addition, changes in eating attitudes (Children’s Eating Attitudes Test [ChEAT]) were compared between 1995 and 1999. Method A three‐wave longitudinal study including girls ( n = 1,076–1,279) in five age groups (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, the Main Cohort) and an age‐matched cross‐sectional sample consisting of 1,759 girls (the Societal Cohort). Results A marked increase of the wish to be thinner was evident in the 10–14‐year‐old age range and significant increases in dieting attempts occurred mainly among 9–13‐year‐old girls. ChEAT scores were significantly higher among 11‐year‐olds in 1999 than in 1995. However, more 7‐year‐olds scored above the ChEAT cutoff (≥15) in 1995 compared with 1999. Discussion There was an increasing trend in the wish to be thinner and in dieting attempts among 9–14‐year‐olds. Attitudes and behaviors associated with disturbed eating had increased between 1995 and 1999 only among the 11‐year‐ olds. © 2002 John Wiley& Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 31: 32–42, 2002.