Adolescence and the diet-dieting disparity: Healthy food choice or risky health behaviour?

Objectives. Food choice in schoolchildren was examined in relation to dieting and measures of eating psychopathology. It was predicted that dieters would make healthier food choices compared to non-dieters and that measures of eating psychopathology would be associated with food choice. Design. A cross-sectional questionnaire design incorporating an established adapted recall method was used to assess patterns of food consumption. Methods. Questionnaires were administered in 13 state secondary schools. Measures included a food frequency questionnaire, the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (CHEAT), body satisfaction ratings, dietary restraint, and questions about dieting status. The sample consisted of 574 females and 445 males aged 11-16 years. Results. Females made significantly more healthy food choices compared to males. Females reported dieting more than males (35% vs. 18%, respectively), and female dieters made more healthy food choices than female non-dieters. Almost a fifth (19%) of the entire sample reported skipping breakfast, with female dieters being three times more likely to do so than non-dieters. There were small but significant associations between reported food consumption and measures of eating attitudes, body dissatisfaction and restraint. For females who scored in the at-risk range on the CHEAT (8.7%), these associations were more substantial. Conclusions. Female dieters appear to make more healthy food choices than non-dieters and so may be tuning into healthy eating messages more effectively. Vulnerable females may use 'healthy eating' to hide risky weight reduction behaviours. Further studies are required to examine the nutritional impact of moderate and extreme dieting in this age group.