Potential risk factors associated with weight control behaviors in elementary and middle school girls

Catherine M. Shisslak, Marjorie Crago, Katherine M. McKnight, Linda S. Estes, Norma Gray, Ori G. Parnaby

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

89 Scopus citations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between weight control behaviors and potential risk factors for disordered eating in a sample of young girls. The McKnight Risk Factor Survey was administered to 523 elementary and middle school girls. In the sample of elementary school girls, results from the multiple regression analyses indicated that frequency/severity of weight control behaviors was associated with body mass index (BMI), self-confidence, peers' weight-related pressures, ethnicity, and the interaction between having divorced/separated parents and BMI. Sensitivity to peers' weight-related pressures and BMI were also associated with weight control behaviors in the middle school girls, along with poor body image, substance use, having divorced/separated parents, and the interaction between having divorced/separated parents and father's pressure for thinness. Longitudinal research is needed to determine how risk factors change over time, beginning in elementary school and continuing through high school.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)301-313
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Psychosomatic Research
Volume44
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1998

Keywords

  • Eating disorders
  • Risk factors
  • Weight control behaviors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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