Predictors of muscularity‐oriented disordered eating behaviors in U.S. young adults: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Objective To determine adolescent predictors of muscularity‐oriented disordered eating behaviors in young men and women using a nationally representative longitudinal sample in the United States and to examine differences by sex. Method We used nationally representative longitudinal cohort data collected from baseline (11–18 years old, 1994–1995) and 7‐year follow‐up (18–24 years old, 2001–2002) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We examined adolescent demographic, behavioral, and mental health predictors of young adult muscularity‐oriented disordered eating behaviors defined as eating more or differently to gain weight or bulk up, supplements to gain weight or bulk up, or androgenic anabolic steroid use at 7‐year follow‐up. Results Of the 14,891 included participants, 22% of males and 5% of females reported any muscularity‐oriented disordered eating behavior at follow‐up in young adulthood. Factors recorded at adolescence that were prospectively associated with higher odds of muscularity‐oriented disordered eating in both sexes included black race, exercising to gain weight, self‐perception of being underweight, and lower body mass index z‐score. In addition, participation in weightlifting; roller‐blading, roller‐skating, skate‐boarding, or bicycling; and alcohol among males and depressive symptoms among females during adolescence were associated with higher odds of muscularity‐oriented disordered eating in young adulthood. Conclusions Interventions to prevent muscularity‐oriented disordered eating behaviors may target at‐risk youth, particularly those of black race or who engage in exercise to gain weight. Future research should examine longitudinal health outcomes associated with muscularity‐oriented disordered eating behaviors.

A virtual issue highlighting eating disorders in people of black/African and Indigenous heritage

“…Five articles discuss the prevalence and presentation of disordered eating in people of black/African and Indigenous heritage (Marques et al, 2011; Nagata et al, 2019; Striegel‐Moore et al, 2011; Taylor, Caldwell, Baser, Faison, & Jackson, 2007; Tuffa et al, 2020). These articles represent an important start to understanding how disordered eating might present in people with these identities, with the caveat that there are many unique subgroups and experiences within each of these broad racial/ethnic identity groups.…”

The Role of Energy Availability in Reproductive Function in the Female Athlete Triad and Extension of its Effects to Men: An Initial Working Model of a Similar Syndrome in Male Athletes

“…One such tool is the Drive for Muscularity Scale, which represents one’s perception that they are not muscular enough and which was developed and validated by McCreary and Sasse [45]. Drive for muscularity may be a valuable screening tool for identifying men at risk of developing eating disorders or disordered eating behaviors, since 27.5% of adolescent men and 4.9% of young women reported trying to gain weight or build muscle, with 21.9% of men and 4.5% of women exhibiting disordered eating behavior [46]. However, the associated disordered behaviors may not necessarily be associated with restrictive eating patterns or contribute to low energy availability since many of those who reported disordered eating behaviors also reported that they ate more or differently in a manner to gain weight or build muscle [46].…”

Gender Norms and Weight Control Behaviors in U.S. Adolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study (1994–2002)

“…In contrast, the idealized masculine male body image in U.S. popular media and action figures is large and muscular [7]. Nearly one third of adolescent boys in the U.S. report attempts to gain weight or muscle, compared with only 7% of U.S. adolescent girls, findings that have remained relatively stable from 2002 to 2015 [6,8].…”