Restrained Eating : Development and Models of Prediction in Girls

Abstract: Body image concerns and dieting emerge at an early age among girls and become more pronounced with increasing age. Knowledge about risk factors for disturbed eating is crucial in order to develop theoretical models and to suggest new paths for preventive efforts. The aim of the present thesis was to investigate the development of disturbed eating and to evaluate a conceptual model of predictors of body dissatisfaction and disturbed eating in girls. The included studies are part of a seven-year longitudinal project employing an accelerated multi-cohort design, including several age groups (7, 9, 11, 13, 15 years at inclusion). Study I demonstrated a marked increase in the wish to be thinner and dieting attempts between the ages 10–14 and 9–13 years, respectively. In Study II, the Body Mass Index (BMI) predicted weight-related teasing and body dissatisfaction, and body dissatisfaction predicted restrained eating among Swedish girls in Grade 8 and Australian girls in Grades 7 and 8. Weight-related teasing partially mediated between BMI and body dissatisfaction in all three samples. Study III partially supported a conceptual model implying that BMI, weight-related teasing, and body dissatisfaction at 7–11 years predicted restrained eating among girls 12–14 years old. Study IV provided support for a conceptual model positing that BMI, body esteem, and to some extent weight-related teasing, predict body dissatisfaction and restrained eating during adolescence and young adulthood. In conclusion, there was partial support for a conceptual model including these risk factors for disturbed eating among girls.