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The association between disordered eating behavior and body image biological maturation and levels of adipocytokines in preadolescent girls: The Healthy Growth Study
During puberty, adolescents experience significant hormonal, physical, and cognitive changes that impact their body image and eating behaviors. This cross-sectional study, utilizing data from the Greek Healthy Growth Study, examined the relationships between disordered eating behaviors, body image, and levels of serum leptin and adiponectin in 1206 girls aged 10-12 years, categorized by their body mass index (BMI). The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and the Children Eating Attitudes Test Questionnaire (ChEAT) were used to evaluate eating behaviors and disordered eating. The study explored the connections between DEBQ and ChEAT scores, pubertal development stages (Tanner Stage), and hormone levels using univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Results indicated that at Tanner Stage 1, higher adiponectin levels were linked to increased “social pressure to eat” scores in ChEAT. At Tanner Stage 4, higher leptin levels were associated with elevated “restraint eating” scores in DEBQ and higher “dieting,” “body image,” and “food awareness” scores in ChEAT. After adjusting for Tanner Stage and BMI, only the association between leptin and “body image” remained significant. The findings suggest the need for further research to understand how hormonal changes during puberty influence eating behaviors, which could help develop stage-specific prevention strategies for eating disorders in girls.
Year: 2021
