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Do preschool children understand what it means to “diet,” and do they do it?
Author(s) -
Holub Shayla C.,
MusherEizenman Dara R.,
Persson Anna V.,
EdwardsLeeper Laura A.,
Goldstein Sara E.,
Miller Amy Barnhart
Publication year - 2005
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.20143
Subject(s) - dieting , psychology , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , weight loss , obesity
Objective The current study determined what preschool children understand about dieting and the extent to which they report engaging in dieting behaviors. Method Forty‐two children (mean age = 5.2 years) were interviewed about their understanding of the word “diet” and about food restraint behaviors. Children's height and weight were recorded. Results Only 17% of the children provided an accurate definition of the word diet (i.e., an answer having to do with the foods a person eats). None of the children mentioned weight loss in their definition. Children reported occasional use of restraint behaviors. Girls and heavier children reported more use of restraint. Discussion Children did not have a clear understanding of the word diet. Thus, the use of the word diet should be avoided when assessing eating behaviors in preschool children. Individual differences in reported dieting behaviors were in the expected directions, suggesting validity in these reports and early emerging social pressures to diet. © 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.