The influence of puberty onset, Body Mass Index, and pressure to be thin on disordered eating behaviors in children and adolescents

• Published in: Eating behaviors : an international journal Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 75 - 83
• Main Authors: Tremblay, Line, Lariviere, Michel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Body Image; Body Mass Index; Child; Diet Surveys; Disordered eating; Eating - psychology; Eating behavior disorders; Feeding and Eating Disorders - etiology; Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Miscellaneous; Mother-Child Relations; Obesity; Parents; Peer Group; Peer pressure; Personal Satisfaction; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Puberty; Puberty - physiology; Puberty - psychology; Self Concept; Sex Factors; Social Perception; Statistics, Nonparametric; Weight Loss; Canada; North America; America; Quebec; Peer pressure; Puberty; Obesity; Disordered eating; Human; Social environment; Social influence; Peer relation; Attitude; Body image; Nutrition disorder; Mental health; Eating disorder; Parent child relation; Body mass index; School age; Social interaction; Adolescent; Family environment; Child; Nutritional status; Public health
• ISSN: 1471-0153; 1873-7358
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2008.12.001

The main objective of this study is to verify the hypothesis that pubertal development, obesity, body satisfaction, as well as family and peer influences predict unhealthy eating habits in children and adolescents. A randomized stratified sample of young Quebecers aged 9, 13, and 16 years on March 31, 1999 [608 children aged of 9 years (325 girls and 283 boys) and 662 adolescents aged of 13 and 16 years (349 girls and 313 boys)] were used. Children's weight, height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) were recorded. Questionnaires were administered to children and a parent (usually the mother). Among 9-year-old children, this study found that weight loss or weight control behaviors were predicted mainly by the onset of puberty, lower maternal abusive control, and the level of peer pressure. Among adolescents, mother's BMI, income, peer pressure, and negative comments about the child's weight most strongly predicted behaviors to control weight, strategies to lose weight and the frequency of such behaviors. The findings suggest that both parents and children need to understand the impact of comments on a child's behavior.