Eating habits, restraint, knowledge and attitudes toward obesity

A questionnaire was administered to 53 male and 169 female Australian university students in order to determine their attitudes toward obesity, knowledge about obesity, abnormal or unhealthy eating habits and scores on Herman's Revised Restraint Scale. Additional variables measured were the subject's own degree of overweight; overweight friends, relatives and dates; sex, age and age of onset of obesity, for those calling themselves overweight. Generally negative attitudes toward obesity were reported, as assessed by weights viewed as potentially attractive for males and females, rating scale evaluations of obesity and feelings about being overweight oneself. These attitude measures were significantly intercorrelated. Knowledge of current information about obesity was at the level of chance. Restraint and eating habits were significantly intercorrelated and also related to self-perceived overweight and number of overweight relatives. Other results suggested that overweight is both more common in females than males and viewed more seriously by them.