by Tso Chi Wai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-96). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgments --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.iii / List of Tables --- p.v / List of Appendices --- p.vii / Introduction --- p.1 / Assessment tools --- p.2 / Development of the EDI --- p.2 / Psychometric properties of the EDI --- p.5 / Reliability --- p.5 / Test-retest reliability --- p.9 / Validity --- p.9 / Factor structure of EDI-1 --- p.14 / Factor analysis of EDI-2 --- p.17 / Normative Data --- p.18 / Cross-cultural studies --- p.19 / Purpose of the study --- p.21 / Method --- p.23 / Participants --- p.23 / Measures --- p.23 / Procedures --- p.25 / Results --- p.26 / Response rate and missing data --- p.26 / Normative data --- p.26 / Differentiating utility --- p.41 / Reliability --- p.45 / Item-total correlational analysis --- p.48 / Subscale intercorrelations --- p.53 / Factor analysis of EDI-1 --- p.55 / Factor analysis of EDI-2 --- p.72 / Correlation between EDI and ESC-21 --- p.78 / Discussion --- p.80 / Normative data and differentiating utility of EDI --- p.80 / Distribution of scores --- p.83 / Differentiating Utilities --- p.83 / Reliability --- p.85 / Factor analysis --- p.86 / Conclusion --- p.88 / Limitations --- p.89 / Implication for Future Studies --- p.90 / References --- p.91 / Appendices / Questionnaire for the study --- p.97

The purpose of this study was to examine sociocultural and psychological correlates of bulimic symptomatology and drive for thinness in a sample of nonclinical female adolescents.

Intuitive eating is defined as an adaptive eating process that involves focusing on internal hunger and satiety to guide eating behavior, using those physiological cues rather than emotions to determine when to eat, and choosing what to eat based upon preference and not external rules and expectations. The purpose of this study was to examine intuitive eating within the context of contemporary sociocultural models of eating in 701 early adolescent boys and 769 early adolescent girls. Support was found for the model and suggested that pressures to lose weight or gain muscle, restrictive messages about food from caregivers, and internalization of the thin ideal were related to the early adolescents’ intuitive eating behaviors, suggesting that many of the sociocultural variables that have been found to impact disordered eating are salient for understanding healthy eating behaviors. However, the relations among many of the variables, as well as the model’s ability to explain intuitive eating overall, were stronger in girls than in boys. These findings can be used to help parents and schools begin to teach early adolescents about intuitive eating and how they can resist external pressures that may negatively influence their eating behaviors.

Despite having the highest life expectancy rate in the world, Hong Kong people do not necessarily lead a healthy life and may suffer from various ailments due to unhealthy lifestyle. For example, more than half of the adult population does not meet the recommended standard of physical activity set by the World Health Organization. Health status of individuals is influenced by different factors such as healthcare input, biological endowment, environment, and lifestyle. Among these factors, only the factor of lifestyle can be managed by an individual. What people can do to improve their health status is to manipulate or change their lifestyle. The present study examines the relationship between lifestyle parameters and self-rated health status of the adult population in Hong Kong. The relationship between physical activity, eating behavior, smoking behavior, and alcohol drinking behavior of individuals on self-rated physical and mental health were analyzed. A total of 1,277 samples were collected among 18 districts in Hong Kong. Structural equation modeling and regression analysis were employed to specify the relationship between lifestyle behavior and individual self-rated health status. Two-way analysis of variance was used to examine the lifestyle behavior across gender and three categorical groups (i.e. age group, education level, marital status). For the physical health, the relationships between eating behavior and physical health, smoking dependence and physical health, alcohol dependence and physical health were negative but statistically insignificant. For the mental health, the relationships between eating behavior and mental health, and smoking dependence and mental health were negative but statistically insignificant. The present study is the pioneer to use latent variables of cigarette dependence and alcohol dependence as a measure of substance use in the empirical tests of Grossman model. Also, this study overcomes the limitations that using one categorical item in measuring self-rated health. The results of the present study provide information on lifestyles and health that can be used by policy-makers, the community, and other stakeholders to promote advocacy and revamp public health policies and practices. It can also provide evidence to guide the development and implementation of public health promotion campaign.

Bibliography: leaves 156-165. Electronic publication; full text available in PDF format; abstract in HTML format. Several researchers have indicated that the emphasis placed by young people on body shape and appearance has been greatly shaped by the media. The aim of this research was to investigate this notion specifically with regard to televised media. It was hypothesised that there would be a relationship between media images, eating attitudes and dietary behaviours, particularly for teenagers with body-image self-schemas who were conscious of their appearance. Nine hundred and sixty five senior secondary school students, from 33 country and metropolitan, state and independent, co-educational and single-sex South Australian high schools were surveyed. Electronic reproduction.[Australia] :Australian Digital Theses Program,2001.

This study uses content analysis to examine the portrayal of eating disorders in young adult novels published from 1981-2005. Fifteen books were evaluated to determine if the portrayal of eating disorders was accurate according to documented psychological profiles of the causes and risk factors for eating disorders. Additionally, the books were evaluated to see if the portrayal of eating disorders over time had changed to correspond with evolving information on eating disorders. This study concludes that while eating disorders are being portrayed accurately and realistically in young adult literature, there is no change in the portrayals over time to complement evolving research on the risk factors and causes of eating disorders.

Not available / text

The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristics and interaction patterns in the families of adolescent eating—disordered patients. Four groups of female adolescents and their mothers (restrictive anorexic, bulimic type, psychiatric control, and nonpsychiatric control) were assessed on a number of self-report instruments: The Family Environment Scale, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire, Sex Role Ideology Scale, Food Fitness and Looks Questionnaire, and Body Esteem Scale. Support was found for the hypothesis that the families of bulimic type and psychiatric control subjects are characterized as more dysfunctional than the families of restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control subjects. In particular, restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control mothers and daughters characterized their families as more cohesive than did bulimic type and psychiatric control mothers and daughters. No differences were found amongst the four groups on expressiveness, conflict, independence, organization, control, or marital adjustment. These family interaction data were found to vary with the adolescent’s level of depression, general psychiatric distress, and impulsivity, but only for daughters, not for mothers. Little support was found for the hypothesis that restrictive anorexic and bulimic type mothers and daughters are characterized as higher in achievement orientation, traditional sex role ideology, and weight and appearance orientation than psychiatric control mothers and daughters. There were no group differences with respect to individual or family achievement orientation; however, restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control daughters did have higher school grades than psychiatric control daughters. No differences in sex role ideology were found amongst the groups. Restrictive anorexic and bulimic type daughters, but not mothers, ascribed greater importance to weight and had more negative attitudes toward their own weight than psychiatric and nonpsychiatric control daughters. No group differences were found for mothers or daughters with respect to attitude toward one’s own attractiveness or importance ascribed to appearance or fitness. Potential explanations for lack of congruence with the theoretical literature are advanced, and the possible specificity of family pseudocohesiveness and problem denial to eating disorders is discussed.

The purpose of the study was to better understand nutrition knowledge, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction among middle school females, in hopes of disseminating this information to parents, teachers, and others with an interest in the well-being of young women. The design of the study determined prevalence of disordered eating and body dissatisfaction, and the level of nutrition knowledge among middle school females. 134 subjects completed a 66-item questionnaire. Descriptive statistics along with an independent t-test, chi square, and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Prevalence of disordered eating among 7th graders was 18.8%, and 15% for 8" graders. High levels of body dissatisfaction were observed in 35% of 7"' graders and 26% of 8t' graders. A significant relationship was found between nutrition knowledge and disordered eating (r=-.309). There was no statistically significant difference between 70' and 8th graders for either disordered eating or body dissatisfaction. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-172).