[Body image, weight and eating behavior in adolescents]

The aim of the study was to assess the incidence of abnormal eating behaviour in relation to age, sex, and body awareness as well as to find potential access to the prevention of eating disorders. The study population was taken from 203 female and 153 male college students aged 14 to 19 years. The method chosen was a self-report questionnaire asking for assessment of current body image and ideal body image by body size silhouettes, dietary habits, methods of weight control and symptoms of eating disorder. Measurements of height and weight were also included.

Among girls, 63% are satisfied with their body shape, in contrast to 93% of the boys. The current body shape matches the ideal body image in 49% of the girls and in 69% of the boys. In two thirds of the female students the ideal body image corresponds to a slightly underweight silhouette, whereas in four fifth of the male students it corresponds to a normal-weight silhouette. A majority of girls (53% vs. 13% boys) is afraid of gaining weight. Four times as many girls use a variety of methods to lose weight. There were no sex differences concerning the regularity of meal intake. Only 13% of all students took all three main meals daily. Eating habits were significantly worse with higher body-mass index. A high risk for the presence of an eating disorder was seen exclusively in girls (4%), whereas the majority of boys (99%) are represented in the low-risk group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)