Awareness of Body Shape, Weight Control, and Eating Disorders in Female Adolescents Living in Seoul.
- Author:
Yeon Kyum KIM
1
;
Ki Sun YOON
Author Information
1. The Graduate School of Education, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
eating disorder;
female adolescent;
awareness of body shapes;
weight control;
depression
- MeSH:
Adolescent;
Anorexia;
Body Image;
Surveys and Questionnaires;
Depression;
Diet;
Dizziness;
Eating;
Eating Disorders;
Female;
Humans;
Ideal Body Weight;
Reference Values;
Weights and Measures
- From:Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
2009;15(3):232-252
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
This study investigated dieting behavior, awareness of body shapes, and eating disorders in female adolescents according to age and BMI. The Eating Attitude Test for Korean Adolescents (EAT-26KA) and sociocultural standards were used to measure eating disorders and sociocultural attitudes related to appearance, respectively. In addition, the BDI (Beck Depression Inventory) scale was used to measure the correlation between disordered eating and depression. The data were collected from 390 female adolescents living in Seoul and were analyzed using SPSS15.0. The results indicated that subjects wanted to be thinner despite having a normal body weight (BMI 19.35+/-2.73). They also thought of themselves as fat and with desires to be slimmer, and viewed "diet and exercise" as the best way to lose weight. About 67.4% of the respondents had tried a diet and had experienced dizziness, anorexia, and general exhaustion while dieting. Also, 5.1% of the subjects were classified as eating disorder and suffered from stress to be thin. In addition, 85.0% of the subjects with eating disorder had tried a diet due to "appearance". They thought that "being underweight" was an ideal body image and considered themselves fat, although their BMIs were in the normal range (19.94+/-2.02). In terms of symptoms during dieting, many of the subjects dealing with an eating disorder felt dizzy, had low energy, and were depressed. In conclusion, we must educate young females about healthy eating and positive body image to prevent the development of adolescent eating disorders.
