Body Image Perception, Eating Disorder Risk, and Depression Level according to Dieting Experience of Female High School Students in Seoul

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted in order to compare weight control behaviors, eating disorder risk, and depression in female adolescents according to dieting experience during the last year. The subjects were 707 students attending a girls' high school in Seoul, and all the information was collected by self-administered questionnaire. Eating disorder risk and depression were determined by using EAT-26 (Eating Attitude Test-26) and PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), respectively. Data were compared between subjects with experience of dieting (320) and those without (387). More of the subjects with dieting experience were unsatisfied with their own body weights (76.9% vs. 44.2%, P<0.01) and weighed themselves frequently (P<0.01) compared to those without diet experience. EAT-26 (11.63±8.3 vs. 5.99±4.7, P<0.01) and PHQ-9 scores (7.05±4.6 vs. 6.00±4.4, P<0.01) were higher in subjects with dieting experience compared to their counterparts. Therefore, we concluded that dieting is associated with several undesirable psychological aspects such as eating disorder risk and depression in adolescent girls, and thus providing proper education is urgently needed to emphasizing importance of healthy weight and the danger of unnecessary dieting.