DIETARY RESTRAINT AND FATNESS IN EARLY ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND BOYS

Dietary restraint (DR) has been identified in children as young as nine-years-old. This has caused concern because of its association with body dissatisfaction, threat to nutritional status and function as a risk factor for more serious eating disorders. Although social pressures to be slim have been implicated, little is known about the factors or mechanisms involved in the onset and development of DR. This study investigated the degree to which actual fatness and/or greater body dimensions might provide a stimulus for dietary restraint in children. Subjects were 61 boys and 65 girls aged 11·3 ± 0·31 years, who were in the first year of a longitudinal paediatric project. Measures of anthropometric status, physical maturity, dietary restraint, perceived fatness and appearance where used in the analysis. DR was not significantly different (p < 0·05) for boys (M = 2·29 ± 0·77) and girls (M = 2·42 ± 0·67). High DR boys were heavier (42 vs. 35 kg), fatter (sum of skinfolds 108 vs. 64 mm) and had larger waist and hip circumferences due to fat deposition than low DR boys (p < 0·05). High DR girls were also heavier (42 vs. 36 kg) and fatter than low DR girls (ss = 108 vs. 76 mm), with larger waists and hips. Increased body fatness and girth are therefore associated with greater dietary restraint. However, further scrutiny of high DR individuals reveals a diversity of self-perception/body measures profiles. Research attention to these profiles is required for a more complete understanding of the development and consequences of DR. © 1994 Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.