Body Image Perceptions and Eating Patterns Among Preadolescent Children

Preadolescent children are showing patterns of body distortion and unhealthy dieting practices to attempt weight manipulation. The present study examined body image perceptions and interest in weight manipulation among 215 preadolescent children (girls, n =101) (mean age = 10) in third, fourth, and fifth grades. To measure body image perceptions, children were asked to answer two multiple choice questions: I think I am: fat, skinny, in-between; and I would like to: lose weight, gain weight, stay the same. Interest in weight manipulation was measured using the Children’s Eating Attitude Test (ChEAT). Results indicated that children show a fairly accurate perception of their body shape and size and this remained consistent for both genders and across all age groups. ANOVA results showed children who felt they were “fat” had a significantly higher level of disturbed eating patterns (ChEAT mean = 14.00) compared to the children who felt they were “in-between” (ChEAT mean = 6.95) (p = .009). Children who indicated they would like to “lose weight” had significantly higher ChEAT scores (mean = 9.19) than those who wanted to “stay the same” (mean = 6.56) (p = .033). ChEAT scores for girls showed a significant difference between the “fat” group (mean = 29.00) and the “in-between” group (mean = 6.81) (p < .001) and between the “fat” group and the “skinny” group (mean = 10.78) (p = .002). Twenty-five percent of this sample of children indicated a desire to “lose weight” (mean body mass index = 21.35) and 67% desired to “stay the same” (mean body mass index = 17.45). Preadolescent children are showing a desire for a thinner body type and are already developing a motivation to avoid weight gain or obesity through dietary manipulation. Early identification of body distortion and disturbed eating patterns could help with education and prevention strategies

Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Children

Body image dissatisfaction has become increasingly more prevalent among the preadolescent population over recent years. This study examines the level of body image dissatisfaction among 261 third, fourth, and fifth grade girls and boys. A pictorial scale was used to assess how the participants viewed their current body shape, their ideal body shape, and what they believed to be the ideal body shape of the opposite gender. Overall results indicated that 50.6% of the children surveyed were dissatisfied with their current body shape, 41.8% wanted to be thinner, while 8.8% wanted to be larger. Fifty percent of the girls were dissatisfied with their current body shape, with 45.1% wishing to be thinner. Boys showed similar trends, with 48.9% dissatisfied and 38.9% wishing to be thinner. A greater percentage of boys wanted to be larger than their current body shape (12.3%) compared to girls (4.9%). A significant difference was found between genders regarding the difference between scores of their current self and ideal self, where girls selected a smaller ideal body shape than the boys. An encouraging finding was that the level of body dissatisfaction decreased from third grade to fifth grade among both genders. Girls, however, still wished to be thinner over time. Boys, on the other hand, indicated a preference for a somewhat larger body shape over time. These results indicate that body image dissatisfaction exists prior to adolescence among this sample of children. Prevention strategies and education are encouraged among this age group