Childhood memories about food: the Successful Dieters Project.
OBJECTIVE
The Successful Dieters Project explored and described the characteristics of dieters. This paper reports the results of a content analysis of one question about childhood memories surrounding food.


METHODS
All subjects were interviewed once with an intensive interview guide, were weighed, and were measured for height and waist-hip ratios.


METHODS
Subjects (N = 162) were 76 men and 86 women, who ranged in age from 21 to 84 years.


RESULTS
Gender and weight history differences were noted in the areas of food rules, the age at which dieting to control weight began, family food rules, positive versus negative memories, and the use of food as a reward or punishment. Parental experience with food deprivation was a strong force in shaping children's attitudes toward food.


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood memories about food appear to contribute to differences among the obese, the always-normal-weight, and the successful dieter. Further research into this area of investigation is warranted.
Brink
P J
PJ
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Ferguson
K
K
Sharma
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires