Self-Reported Weight Perceptions, Dieting Behavior, and Breakfast Eating Among High School Adolescents

Abstract

This study explored the relationships among weight perceptions, dieting behavior, and breakfast eating in 4597 public high school adolescents using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Adjusted multiple logistic regression models were constructed separately for race and gender groups via SUDAAN (Survey Data Analysis). Adjusted odds ratios [ORs] and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to determine the strength of relationships. Approximately 42% of the sample reported not eating breakfast within the past 5 days, while 41% were trying to lose weight, and 37% were dieting to lose weight. Excessive dietary practices (eg, fasting, taking diet pills or laxatives, and vomiting to lose weight) were reported by approximately 25% of the sample. When compared to those eating breakfast within the past 5 days, all race and gender groups that did not report eating breakfast were significantly more likely to report fasting to lose weight (ORs = 1.70-2.97). In addition, all race/gender groups, with the exception of black females, were significantly more likely to perceive themselves as overweight (ORs = 1.44-1.61) and trying to lose weight (ORs = 1.40-1.72). Among males, not eating breakfast was significantly associated with taking diet pills to lose weight (ORs = 2.31-2.40), eating fewer calories to lose weight (ORs = 1.38-1.49), and inversely associated with trying to gain weight (ORs = 0.71-0.74). Results suggest that these adolescents may be skipping breakfast as part of a patterned lifestyle of unhealthy weight management and that efforts to encourage youth to eat breakfast will likely not ameliorate all dietary challenges that appear beyond the scope of increased breakfast offerings.

Disordered Eating and Unhealthy Weight Loss Practices: Which Adolescents Are at Highest Risk?

“…In this statewide survey, one in six girls and one in 14 boys reported using UWLP, findings consistent with previous studies [1,4].…”

Behavioral symptoms of eating disorders in Native Americans: Results from the add health survey wave III

“…Although technically not an eating disorder symptom, we utilized this variable in the present study to examine breakfast skipping, a behavior common in individuals who are weight concerned or dieting. 21,22 Consistent with several published studies [23][24][25][26] we defined breakfast skipping as missing breakfast at least six times in the past seven days (yes/no).…”

Balancing body perception during growth and development

“…The ideal of a thin body commonly shared by girls makes them more likely to engage in various forms of weight reduction behaviour, including skipping breakfast (72,76). Both higher WC and BMI were shown to be associated with less frequent consumption of breakfast in girls, which implies that skipping breakfast represents an attempt to lose weight, as also found in other studies (59,70).…”

“…Weight control behaviours resulting from body dissatisfaction, however, include unhealthy practices such as skipping breakfast and an overemphasis on calorie reduction (74)(75)(76). Such practices may be associated with negative physical and psychological effects such as irritability, concentration problems, menstrual irregularities, nutritional deficiencies and eating disorders (77).…”