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Dieting, body weight concerns and health: trends and associations in Swedish schoolchildren
Unhealthy diets represent a risk factor for developing eating disorders and obesity. In a cross-sectional study by Berg & Larsson (2020), the authors investigated the timely trends of dieting, and how diet and body weight dissatisfaction are linked to perceptions of wellbeing, health, and health-related behaviors, in a population of 30,000 Swedish students (11, 13, or 15 years old) using data from the Swedish Health Behavior in School-aged Children surveys (1994-2014). Students in the 5th, 7th, and 9th grades submitted classroom-administered questionnaires and accounted for their diets, body dissatisfaction, and overall health. Analysis of the results revealed an uptrend in dieting behaviors across the years in all age groups, with a prevalence of 14% in girls and 8% in boys by 2014, and that most students were satisfied with their body image (65% in girls and 69% in boys). However, body weight dissatisfaction and dieting practices were prevalent across all BMI classes and were found to be related to several negative accounts, such as a poor perception of health. This was further evident by a higher likelihood of reporting poor health in students who believe they need to gain or lose weight, compared to their peers. This relationship persisted after accounting for statistical variables like sex, age, and body weight. The authors conclude that dieting and body weight dissatisfaction are considerable factors that should be accounted for in health-promoting interventions directed at school-age children and that students need increasing support towards reaching and maintaining both healthy weight and body image. [NPID: Adolescents, body dissatisfaction, body image, body weight concerns, dieting, overweight]
Year: 2020
