Original Article
Eating habits, body-esteem and self-esteem in scottish children and adolescents

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Abstract

Two hundred ninety-nine girls, from primary school grade 6 to senior school grade 4 classes in a Scottish, independent, single-gender school completed three questionnaires assessing body-esteem, self-esteem, and eating behavior. The aim of the study was threefold: to see whether there was a significant increase in more abnormal eating habits during adolescence; to see whether there was a significant decline in body-esteem during adolescence; and to see whether there was any association between eating habits, body-esteem, and self-esteem. The results provided some evidence in support of the first two hypotheses and also indicated a strong association between a low level of self-esteem and dislike of body shape, and an abnormal pattern of eating. The risks and implications of dieting in this age group are also discussed.

Introduction

Dieting among adults is so common that it is the norm rather than the exception [1]. Unfortunately, this pattern of behavior is extending downward to include adolescents 2, 3. According to the theory of restrained eating, both “emotional” and “external” eating are the consequence of intense dieting 4, 5. Restrained eating is defined as the conscious restriction of food intake, namely dieting. Emotional eating is excessive eating in response to arousal states such as anger, fear, or anxiety, whereas external eating is eating in response to food-related stimuli, regardless of the internal state of hunger or satiety. Van Strien and colleagues [6] developed the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) using the concepts of restrained, emotional, and external eating. The results of the questionnaire found a positive correlation between emotional eating and external eating as well as one between emotional and restrained eating [6].

Dissatisfaction with bodily appearance is closely linked to body weight. Women are more likely to perceive themselves as overweight or slightly overweight, regardless of their weight [7]. This distortion in body image results in a less positive attitude toward one’s body, which in turn is related to a lower level of self-esteem. A high incidence of feeling fat is also reported among adolescents [8], and it seems that it is perceived weight rather than actual weight that is best correlated with weight and figure dissatisfaction [9]. Mendelson and White [10] found a positive correlation between body-esteem and self-esteem in children using a specially designed 24-item questionnaire assessing body-esteem.

Given the concern about dieting among adolescent girls and the availability of measures to assess eating habits, body-esteem, and self-esteem, it seemed reasonable to look at the interrelationships. The study was designed to test three hypotheses about the eating habits of girls as they go through adolescence, using self-report measures. These hypotheses were: there is a significant increase in more abnormal eating habits during adolescence; there is a significant decline in body-esteem during adolescence; and more abnormal eating habits and lower body-esteem are associated with lower self-esteem.

Section snippets

Subjects

Subjects included girls attending an independent single-gender school in Edinburgh. They were aged 10–16 years, except for one girl who was aged 18. They were in classes primary 6 to senior 4, 27% in the junior and 73% in the senior school.

Assessment measures

Three questionnaires were used. Eating behavior was assessed with the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) [6], which has 33 items and assesses three different aspects of eating, restrained eating (10 items), emotional eating (13 items), and external

Results

Two hundred ninety-nine girls were eligible to participate. Unfortunately, the junior school teachers did not give out the DEBQ, so that only girls in the senior school (218) completed this questionnaire. Data from 291 and 284 girls were obtained for the body-esteem and self esteem questionnaires, respectively.

Table I, Table II show the changes in eating pattern, body-esteem, and self-esteem from primary 6 (aged 11 years) to senior 4 (aged 16 years), whereas Table III summarizes the significant

Discussion

This study has shown two consistent interactions between measures of eating habits, body-esteem, and self-esteem among girls during adolescence. As the study was cross-sectional rather than longitudinal, the results refer to differences between groups of girls according to age rather than to a cohort of girls studied over an extended period of time. Despite this caveat, two findings are evident: older girls show more abnormal scores on all three questionnaires compared with younger girls; and

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