OBJECTIVE: Because psychoeducational primary prevention programs for eating disorders have met with little success, this preliminary experiment tested a dissonance-based targeted preventive intervention. METHOD: Female undergraduates (N = 30) with elevated body image concerns were assigned to a three-session intervention, wherein they voluntarily argued against the thin ideal, or a ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between work stress and nutritional status in relation to dietary restraint in a community sample of adults. METHODS: The design included a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study element. Ninety staff members (58 women and 32 men) of a large ...

This report, based on 1,795 participants in the Next Step Trial, examines how a dietary intervention program affected mediating factors for dietary change. The model tested whether intervention increased predisposing (skills, knowledge, and beliefs) and enabling (social support and norms) factors for change and advanced participants into action and maintenance ...

While many of the above examples support a role of these dietary components in modifying the synthesis, storage, release and actions of various neurotransmitter molecules in the central nervous system, most of the responses to eating everyday foods are expected to produce subtle changes in physiological and/or behavioral parameters. However, ...

In the typical functional analysis in which the antecedent and consequent events associated with problem behavior are manipulated, the control condition involves elimination of both the relevant establishing operation (EO) and its associated contingency through a schedule of noncontingent reinforcement (usually fixed-time [FT] 30 s). In some functional analyses, however, ...

As dietetics professionals, rather than debating dietary prescriptions, we must make our priority evaluating whether those prescriptions can be reasonably and consistently translated into food selection and eating patterns. This is nothing new to us. We have long advised physicians about the practicality of diet prescriptions and often recommended that ...

OBJECTIVE: The overriding objective of this paper is to outline the steps involved in refining a structural model to explain differences in dieting status. METHODS: Cross-sectional data (representing the responses of 1,644 teenage girls) derive from the preliminary testing in a 3-year longitudinal study. A battery of measures assessed social ...

OBJECTIVE: The persistence of dieters' weight loss efforts, despite repeated failures, suggests that there must be some interim reinforcement for dieting that sustains the behavior. We propose that self-change efforts capitalize on a "false hope syndrome," in which the initial commitment to change brings immediate rewards (largely improvements in self-image), ...

OBJECTIVE: In treatment of binge eating, measures of self-concept, eating self-efficacy, and social support were examined at 0, 6, and 18 months to determine if improvements in these variables were associated with reductions in binge eating severity. METHOD: Obese adult females (N = 125) were treated for 6 months, with ...

Conditioned food aversion is a powerful experimental tool to modify animal diets. We have also investigated it as a potential management tool to prevent livestock from grazing poisonous plants such as tall larkspur (Delphinium barbeyi), white locoweed (Oxytropis sericea) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) on western US rangelands. The following ...

This paper proposes that the application of the Transtheoretical Model's stages of change to dietary behaviours may be fundamentally problematic due to the difference in nature between dietary behaviours and the addictive behaviours upon which the model was originally based. It was considered that specific problems associated with stage categorization ...

Etiologic models of bulimia center on dieting and negative affect, yet no research has subtyped bulimic individuals according to whether they fit dietary versus negative affect profiles. This study subtyped 265 bulimic women along dieting and depressive dimensions and tested whether subtypes showed differences in eating pathology, clinical correlates, and ...

PURPOSE: To examine the general dieting behavior and characteristics of adolescent girls in the United Kingdom, and in particular, the Northwest of England. METHODS: A total of 569 girls, ages 11-15 years, from six schools in the Merseyside and Lancashire area, representing a cross-section of social status, completed a nonstandardized ...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship of self-reported weight status and dieting to actual weight and height in a cross-sectional nationally representative sample of young adolescents. METHODS: Weights and heights were obtained on 1932 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. Information ...

OBJECTIVE: Relationships were examined between hostility, weight status, weight cycling, dieting behaviors, and nutrition attitudes. METHOD: Data were derived from the RENO Diet-Heart Study (RDHS), a 5-year prospective natural history (descriptive) study of weight fluctuations, behavior patterns, and cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors. Overweight versus normal-weight and weight-cycling versus non-weight-cycling men ...

We report a case of sudden onset of vitamin A poisoning. A 20-year-old Japanese woman had been eating pumpkin and only a very limited amount of other foods on a daily basis for 2 years. She was overly concerned about weight reduction. Aurantiasis cutis and abnormal liver function tests were ...

A 49-year-old man presented with a five-week history of worsening confusion, agitation, and bizarre behavior. According to his mother and sister, who live with him, he had inexplicably jumped out of bed one day and complained of injuring his back. The pain apparently resolved within several days. Two weeks later, ...

One hundred and eighty-seven former residential weight control participants exhibiting binge eating traits were assessed for gender differences regarding demographics, diet, exercise, weight control techniques, behavior modification techniques and binge eating characteristics. Data were gathered using a 68-item paper pencil questionnaire. Results indicate that there were no significant differences between ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative and combined effects of dietary advice to lower fat intake and alter eating frequency on nutrient intake and plasma lipid levels in men with recently diagnosed hyperlipidemia. DESIGN: In this 4-week dietary intervention trial, a 7-day food diary was used in the week preceding the ...

Among prosimians, some types of scent-marking may serve as displacement activities that reduce physiological arousal in stressful situations. Type and frequency of scent-marking was measured for 22 male small-eared or Garnett's bushbabies (Otolemur garnettii) exposed to a novel open field environment, with and without novel objects. Rates of foot rubbing, ...

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that different types of dieting strategies are associated with different behavioral outcomes by investigating the relationship of dieting behaviors with overeating, body mass and mood. A sample of 223 adult male and female participants from a large community were studied. Only a ...

OBJECTIVE: A widely held clinical belief is that individuals with binge eating problems fare poorly in weight loss programs. The empirical evidence regarding the prognostic significance of binge eating, however, is mixed. The goals of this study were to examine psychological and behavioral characteristics associated with binge eating and the ...

Using data from a 2-year longitudinal study of 200 Black and White adolescent girls (mean age was 13.8 years at study entry), the authors investigated the implications of differences in body fat for dating and sexual activity and the implications of heterosexual activity for dieting and weight concerns. Among White ...

It has long been believed that food restriction leads to psychological disturbances, including depression, preoccupation with food, and binge eating. However, recent studies suggest that comprehensive weight loss programs that incorporate behavioral treatment, diet change, and encouragement of physical activity in fact can improve the psychological state, including mood. A ...

Information on the perceived difficulties in trying to eat a healthier diet is important in assisting those in nutrition education devise more effective programmes. The objective of this study was to determine the main perceived barriers that people have in trying to eat a healthy diet in the 15 member ...

The aim of this study was to determine whether permitting women in labour to eat a light diet would: (i) alter their metabolic profile, (ii) influence the outcome of labour, and (iii) increase residual gastric volume and consequent risk of pulmonary aspiration. Women were randomised to receive either a light ...

The relationships between children's activity, aerobic fitness, and fatness are unclear. Indirect estimates of activity, e.g., heart rate (HR) and recall, may mask any associations. The purpose of this study was to assess these relationships by using the Tritrac-R3D, a pedometer, and heart rate. Thirty-four children, ages 8-10 yr, participated ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the intake of women who report varying levels of frequency of consuming food at commercial facilities outside the home. DESIGN: A 1-week descriptive study of dietary intake in women. Subjects completed daily diet records that included information regarding the source of the food eaten at each meal ...

OBJECTIVE: The factor structure of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) and the predictors of problem eating were examined in young boys and girls. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty eight children from Grades 2 and 4 completed questionnaires which examined problem eating attitudes and behaviors, body image, and self-concepts. RESULTS: ...

This study aimed to assess body mass index (BMI) of nursing students, and examine the links between health behavior in terms of healthy dietary habits, positive health habits, dieting and BMI. A structured questionnaire was used for obtaining information on dietary habits, positive health habits, demographic characteristic including body weight, ...

OBJECTIVE: While most individuals with bulimia nervosa begin dieting prior to the onset of binge eating, some individuals begin binge eating prior to dieting. The purpose of this study was to assess the differences between these two groups. METHODS: Participants (N = 120) in a treatment study for bulimia nervosa ...

Nutrition therapy is essential to the management of several chronic diseases affecting adolescents. Unfortunately, dietary impositions may evoke pathological eating-related cognitions. This pilot study examined eating- and weight-related cognitions of 55 adolescents attending a summer camp for youngsters with a heterogeneous variety of chronic diseases. Campers completed the Eating Cognitions ...

This article reports alternative findings from a pilot study to those presented recently (Strong GF, Huon KG. J. Psychosom. Res., 1998; 44:315-326) in regard to the proposed model of sociopsychological processes involved in the initiation of dieting among young adolescent girls. One hundred thirteen female high school pupils completed a ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of the media on girls' weight concerns, weight control/loss behaviors, and perceptions of body weight and shape. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey completed in school. The questionnaire assessed body weight, dissatisfaction with body weight and shape, exposure to fashion magazines, the impact of media on feelings about ...

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that eating control and physical activity help maintain weight and waist circumference after a very-low-calorie diet. DESIGN: A 12 week weight reduction (WR) phase, followed by a 40 week weight maintenance (WM) phase. For the latter, the subjects were randomised into a no-exercise group and ...

Unstable self-esteem is thought to reflect fragile and vulnerable feelings of self-worth that are affected by specific positive and negative events. Direct evidence for this contention is lacking, however. To redress this situation, we examined the extent to which level and stability of self-esteem predicted the impact that everyday positive ...

An individual's eating behaviour is shaped by factors ranging from economic conditions and cultural practices to biological influences. The physiological system controlling appetite appears to be adapted to solving the problem of an unevenness of food supply across time, and is fairly permissive in its response to undereating and overeating. ...

This article describes the development of a behavioral staging algorithm for use in the Eat Well, Live Well Nutrition Program, a peer-delivered community-based program for African American women (N = 301). The authors examined whether increased frequency in performing low-fat eating behaviors and lower percentage calories from fat intake resulted ...

The present study explored the relationships among dietary style (ranging from meat eating to veganism), cognitive restraint and feminist values. Two-hundred and twenty-seven participants with varying dietary styles completed the restraint subscale of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) and Attitudes Towards Feminism Scale (ATFS). Results indicated that among males, ...

Dieting is a common behaviour which may trigger eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa in predisposed subjects. We found that in healthy women moderate dieting for 3 weeks lowered plasma concentrations of the 5-HT precursor, L-tryptophan (TRP) and impaired brain 5-HT neurotransmission as judged by 5-HT neuroendocrine tests. In recovered ...

This paper explores a perspective that expands the scope of the "healthy" narcissistic function to include the narcissistic preservation of self-identities during interaction between self and others. After a brief review of the literature from Freud to current views on the subject, the author describes the mutual influence of narcissistic ...

A sample of 80 couples were videotaped discussing a marital conflict and were then grouped in 3 types according to their interaction behavior: both partners displaying predominantly negative behavior ( N = 36 couples); both partners showing positive behavior ( N = 26); and couples showing asymmetric behavior (one positive, ...

The chronic dieting syndrome has been described as a situation in which a person is overly focused on dieting, but has nonpathological psychological function. At any given time, an estimated 50% of North American women are participating in some type of dieting behaviour. In this study, energy metabolism and lifestyle ...

Eating disturbances in middle-class Brazilian adolescents attending three high schools (one Military, two Private schools) were investigated. Participants from both Private schools were similar to U.S. samples on the EAT-26. Path analysis on the Private schools revealed the following. Higher body weight leads to weight concerns most strongly through greater ...

Dieting has been implicated as a potential contributor in the development of binge eating problems in binge eating disorder (BED). If dieting plays a causal role in the etiology of BED, this could have major implications for understanding and treating individuals with the disorder. This article reviews the existing literature ...

Changes in body morphology of anorectic girls during illness as well as during the treatment period were studied using data on 23 anthropometric traits. The sample consisted of 20 adolescent girls, aged 16.05 +/- 2.21 years. Girls with shorter duration of anorexia nervosa have larger amounts of fat and muscle ...

OBJECTIVES: Since weight concerns and dieting are apparent before adolescence, this study examined the factors predictive of early dieting awareness. It was hypothesized that early dieting awareness would be negatively associated with perceived self-worth, particularly in girls. METHODS: One hundred seventy six 8-year-old children (86 girls, 90 boys) completed assessments ...

Physically active adolescent girls and young women may eliminate meat from their diets to achieve or maintain low body weight. By doing so, they risk developing protein, iron, and zinc deficiencies. Further, meatless diets in this population may signal the possibility of amenorrhea and/or disordered eating, with the attendant risk ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether adolescents engaging in extreme weight loss methods (i.e., vomiting and diet pills) and those using more moderate methods differ from each other in dietary intake (fruits, vegetables, and higher-fat foods) and physical activity, and to compare these variables in dieting and nondieting adolescents. DESIGN: Data were ...

We determined the energy requirement for the activity associated with eating in an experiment with four adult Hinterwälder steers weighing 640+/-25 kg BW (mean+/-SD), using indirect calorimetry in respiration chambers. Heat production was measured during 3 h with and 3 h without ad libitum access to wheat straw, and the ...