title: Representations and beliefs about eating disorders in a sample of French adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Body dissatisfaction and psychological problems are cited as the major cause of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Behavioral characteristics most often associated with AN and BN are food restriction, vomiting, and excessive exercise. The objective of this study was to examine representations and beliefs about AN and BN in a sample of French adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample was composed of 942 adolescents (16.4 years ± 1.2; 59.1% girls and 40.9% boys).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Excessive thinness and health problems were the physical characteristics most often associated with eating disorders (ED). A majority of the adolescents believe that ED most often manifest in adolescent females and were conscious of the gravity and chronic nature of ED; thinness was appropriately associated with AN, but many had erroneous beliefs regarding BN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study provide insight into what young people in France believe and understand about the two major ED and advocate for more available information concerning BN for this population.
authors: UFR de Psychologie, Université de Lille 3, Lille, France.
authors: Amélie
authors: A
authors: Rousseau
authors: Stacey
authors: S
authors: Callahan
authors: Henri
authors: H
authors: Chabrol
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male