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Body image and eating patterns among adolescents
Maria del Mar Bibiloni, Jordi Pich, Antoni Pons
1Research Group on Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Guillem Colom Bldg, Campus, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain. pep.tur@uib.es.
BMC Public Health
|December 3, 2013
Summary
Adolescent body image dissatisfaction is linked to poor eating habits. Overweight adolescents, especially girls, who desire a thinner body often have fewer meals and restrict food intake.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent health
- Nutritional science
- Body image research
Background:
- Limited data exists on the connection between adolescent body self-perception and eating behaviors.
- This study investigated body image and eating patterns in normal-weight, overweight, and obese adolescents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between body image and eating patterns in adolescents.
- To identify differences in eating behaviors among normal-weight, overweight, and obese adolescents based on body perception.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey conducted in the Balearic Islands, Spain.
- Involved 1231 adolescents aged 12-17 years.
- Data collected on anthropometry, body image, socio-economic factors, and food consumption.
Main Results:
- A significant percentage of boys and girls desiring a thinner physique consumed fewer than four meals daily.
- Overweight girls wishing to be thinner were more likely to skip breakfast.
- Adolescents desiring a thinner body, particularly overweight ones, showed reduced intake of various food groups and restricted Western diet foods.
Conclusions:
- While many overweight boys were content with their body image, nearly all overweight girls desired to be thinner.
- Adolescent meal patterns and food consumption are significantly associated with body dissatisfaction and being overweight.
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