Eating attitudes in adolescent girls

Eating disorders are more common in women; especially adolescent girls are at risk. Our objective was to assess whether the adolescent girls were satisfied with their present physical appearance and weight and to analyze their views about their appearance.

The survey was conducted among female adolescents, aged 16-17, in all secondary schools in Banjaluka, using the Eating Attitudes Test - EAT-26. The response rate was 1956 (87.3%) out of 2240 (total number in the first and second grade female students).

Almost half of the students surveyed with BMI <18.5 kg/m2 were sometimes dissatisfied with their body image. More than half (54.8%) with BMI 18.5-25 kg/m2 were sometimes dissatisfied with their appearance, while 1 of 10 respondents had that feeling often. Nearly 20% declared that they often wanted to be slimmer. With statistically significant differences, the surveyed students with BMI <18 kg/m2 stated that they were unaware of calorie value of foods in comparison to students with BMI of 18-25 kg/m2 (χ2=63.7, df=24, p=0.000). Nearly 33% of respondents were always, very often, and often familiar with food calorie values.

Unrealistic idea of the body size can bring out various health risks. The health risks ranges from inadequate child attempts to inability to recognize and stop the weight gain.

The survey highlights a need for education of young people in order to accept a healthy lifestyle.