title: Dieting and weight concerns among Finnish adolescents.
abstract: The aim of the study was to examine factors associated with dieting and weight concerns among Finnish adolescents. A school-survey included a 9-item screening scale for assessing attitudes and behaviors involving dieting and body image and a self-report measure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire assessing emotional and behavioral problems. Altogether 1458 questionnaires were analyzed, which accounted for about 89% of the target population including all the 7th and the 9th graders in two cities in Finland. According to the results, dieting and weight concerns were extremely common among Finnish adolescents. For all aspects of weight control and dieting concerns, the rates of occurrence were greater among girls. A high level of dieting concerns was associated with female sex, body mass, emotional, conduct, and hyperactivity symptoms, and alcohol use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, PL 52, FI-20521 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koskelainen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sourander
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Helenius
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires