Dieting behavior among 11-15-year-old girls in merseyside and the northwest of England

Purpose: To examine the general dieting behavior and characteristics of adolescent girls in the United Kingdom, and in particular, the Northwest of England. Methods: A total of 569 girls, ages 11-15 years, from six schools in the Merseyside and Lancashire area, representing a cross-section of social status, completed a nonstandardized questionnaire concerning general dieting behavior. Data were analyzed using SPSS (p < .05 was considered significant). Results: The incidence of dieting was 35.3%, The earliest repel-led age of starting to diet was 8 years. Significantly more girls from the independent schools (45.2%) had started to diet by the age of 10 years, compared to girls from the comprehensive schools (24%) (p = .03). Of those who had dieted, 30.3% had dieted up to two times during the previous 12 months, 17.4% had dieted up to four times, and 6% had dieted for most of the time. Most girls (33%) dieted for 2-4 weeks at a time, and 66% thought that dieting was good for their health. Only 52% said their parents did not approve of them dieting. Most girls (42.1%) dieted because they felt they were too fat. Conclusion: This study has shown that many young girls are engaging in potentially harmful dieting practices from a very early age;and are of the opinion that dieting is a healthy activity. This would suggest that many misconceptions are held with regard to nutritional advice and education, and that such information should be reviewed and changed accordingly. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1999.