A longitudinal study of the development of dieting among 7-17-year-old Swedish girls.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the extent to which the prevalence of self-reported dieting and the wish to be thinner changed in 7-15-year-old girls over a 3-year period, and to explore potential differences between cohorts recruited in 1995 and 1999. In addition, changes in eating attitudes (Children's Eating Attitudes Test [ChEAT]) were compared between 1995 and 1999.


METHODS
A three-wave longitudinal study including girls (n = 1,076-1,279) in five age groups (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, the Main Cohort) and an age-matched cross-sectional sample consisting of 1,759 girls (the Societal Cohort).


RESULTS
A marked increase of the wish to be thinner was evident in the 10-14-year-old age range and significant increases in dieting attempts occurred mainly among 9-13-year-old girls. ChEAT scores were significantly higher among 11-year-olds in 1999 than in 1995. However, more 7-year-olds scored above the ChEAT cutoff (</=15) in 1995 compared with 1999.


CONCLUSIONS
There was an increasing trend in the wish to be thinner and in dieting attempts among 9-14-year-olds. Attitudes and behaviors associated with disturbed eating had increased between 1995 and 1999 only among the 11-year- olds.
Halvarsson
Klara
K
Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Katarina.Lunner@pubcare.uu.se
Lunner
Katarina
K
Westerberg
Josefin
J
Anteson
Frida
F
Sjödén
Per-Olow
PO
D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013548:Sweden; D015431:Weight Loss