People's psychological experience of their body can impact on their lives. Some theories hold that the media creates an impossible physical ideal. The demands of trying to achieve this ideal may lead to normative discontent and psychopathology. Girls are experiencing this pressure at a younger age and the onset of puberty can exacerbate this experience. The present study used case studies and thematic content analysis to explore the issue of body image in twelve preadolescent girls. The research found that hair and the ability of the body to do need to be encompassed in the definition of body image. While the participants appeared to have a positive perception of their body, there also appeared to be negative feelings. This suggested that the participants experienced confusion and ambiguous feelings about their body. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Text in English / The purpose this study was to explore food habits and nutritional behaviours of adolescents in a school in Lenasia South, in Gauteng Province. Qualitative, explorative research was conducted in order to recommend effective prevention strategies of non-communicable diseases. Adolescents from the selected secondary school formed the sample of the study. Data collection was done using focus groups’ discussions. Three focus group discussions were conducted in the study. The first group comprised of thirteen male adolescents, followed by ten female adolescents and the final group was a combination of both female and male learners to produce a homogenous group. Specific common eating habits and nutritional behaviours emerged from the focus group discussions which included skipping meals, high consumption of high energy dense foods and sweetened beverages. Consequently, when developing intervention programs and policies to improve health of adolescents, environmental influences that undermine efforts to improve adolescent’s dietary behaviours must be addressed. / Health Studies / M.P.H.

Tang Wai-yee. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-61). / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Due to the fact that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of adolescents with unhealthy eating habits there is a growing recognition on the part of professionals, educators and parents for the development and implementation of an intervention programme for the facilitation of healthy eating habits. Relevant literature on eating behaviour indicated that low self-concept is associated with health compromising behaviours such as unhealthy eating habits. The nature of self-concept and eating habits was explained in order to determine important exogenous and endogenous factors as well as perspectives to use as a background for the development of a Psychoeducational intervention programme. Theoretical principles and practical applications of cognitive-behaviour therapy and hypnotherapy were analysed and used as a foundation for the development of the intervention programme. The researcher developed an Interactionism Model of Self-concept and Eating habits and a Psycho-educational programme involving cognitive-behaviour therapy and hypnotherapy to improve eating habits of adolescents. Valid and reliable measuring instruments were used in order to measure self-concept and eating habits. A pre-test post-test design was implemented to nine participants using the Adolescent Self-concept Scale (ASCS), Eating Habits Questionnaire for Adolescents (EHQA) developed by the researcher (2001) and Body Mass Index (BMI). Diagnostic measuring instruments also included the Emotions Profile Index (EPI), Draw A Person (DAP), Sentence Completion, Dietary Record and interview. Results from the empirical study indicated that adolescents with low self-concept and unhealthy eating habits responded positively to the Psycho-educational programme involving cognitive-behaviour and hypnotherapy. Specifically, there was a significant increase in selfconcept and a satisfactory improvement in eating habits. Recommendations for psychotherapy practice, educators and parents were made, based on the current research results. The contribution of the study lies in the fact that a hands-on practical implementation of the Psycho-educational programme was developed to facilitate the improvement of eating habits and it further contributes to the psychological well-being and healthy life-style of adolescents having positive implications for society. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Due to the fact that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of adolescents with unhealthy eating habits there is a growing recognition on the part of professionals, educators and parents for the development and implementation of an intervention programme for the facilitation of healthy eating habits. Relevant literature on eating behaviour indicated that low self-concept is associated with health compromising behaviours such as unhealthy eating habits. The nature of self-concept and eating habits was explained in order to determine important exogenous and endogenous factors as well as perspectives to use as a background for the development of a Psychoeducational intervention programme. Theoretical principles and practical applications of cognitive-behaviour therapy and hypnotherapy were analysed and used as a foundation for the development of the intervention programme. The researcher developed an Interactionism Model of Self-concept and Eating habits and a Psycho-educational programme involving cognitive-behaviour therapy and hypnotherapy to improve eating habits of adolescents. Valid and reliable measuring instruments were used in order to measure self-concept and eating habits. A pre-test post-test design was implemented to nine participants using the Adolescent Self-concept Scale (ASCS), Eating Habits Questionnaire for Adolescents (EHQA) developed by the researcher (2001) and Body Mass Index (BMI). Diagnostic measuring instruments also included the Emotions Profile Index (EPI), Draw A Person (DAP), Sentence Completion, Dietary Record and interview. Results from the empirical study indicated that adolescents with low self-concept and unhealthy eating habits responded positively to the Psycho-educational programme involving cognitive-behaviour and hypnotherapy. Specifically, there was a significant increase in selfconcept and a satisfactory improvement in eating habits. Recommendations for psychotherapy practice, educators and parents were made, based on the current research results. The contribution of the study lies in the fact that a hands-on practical implementation of the Psycho-educational programme was developed to facilitate the improvement of eating habits and it further contributes to the psychological well-being and healthy life-style of adolescents having positive implications for society. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

L’obésité pédiatrique est un phénomène en expansion croissante, amenant les professionnels de la santé à en parler en termes de phénomène pandémique. Mais au-delà de cette expansion croissante, c’est également l’augmentation de la sévérité de l’obésité chez l'enfant et l'adolescent qui apparaît inquiétante.<p>Or, la présence des déterminants sociaux,énergétiques, génétiques ne suffisent pas toujours pour expliquer son développement et principalement quand il s’agit d’obésité sévère. Dans le cadre de l'obésité sévère, il y a lieu de dépasser les théories centrées sur la compréhension de l’agir alimentaire pour envisager les théories qui considèrent l’implication de l’ensemble du corps dans le développement de l’obésité et ce principalement lorsqu’on s’intéresse à l’adolescent. <p><p>Les objectifs de cette étude visent, face à ces éléments, à établir, dans un premier temps, un profil démographique, médical, familial, psychologique et psychopathologique d’une population d’adolescents souffrant d'obésité sévère. Ces informations ont été recueillies à l’aide de questionnaires structurés et par observation de 164 adolescents satisfaisant aux critères de l’obésité sévère. Un diagnostic pédopsychatrique selon la CFTMEA R 2000 a été posé pour chaque sujet. Nos résultats ont souligné le déterminisme multiple de l’obésité de nos sujets mais également l’importance des comorbidités bio-psycho-sociales.<p>Dans un second temps, à l’aide d’une analyse factorielle, nous avons mis en évidence qu’une plus grande sévérité de l’obésité s’associait à des facteurs d’environnement défavorisant(troubles mentaux dans la famille, carences, maltraitance) et à la présence d'un profil psychopathologique. De plus, ces mêmes modalités étaient associées avec une compliance familiale et individuelle moins importante. <p><p>Dans une dernière partie, nous nous sommes centrés sur les liens qui unissaient ces différents éléments. Pour ce faire, nous avons aux travers d’analyse de cas et à l'aide d'un Rorschach, du Questionnaire de l'Image du Corps de Bruschon-Schweitzer, et d'un dessin de soi, évalué la présence de troubles de l’image du corps chez 10 de nos sujets et leur évolution durant la prise en charge en lien avec la perte de poids. Nos résultats ont mis en évidence la présence de troubles de l’image du corps avec une image de soi incertaine, indifférenciée aux limites diffuses. <p>L’obésité s’inscrirait en tant que garant concret face à une image du corps peu unifiée. Ceci nous permet de considérer que l’obésité s’installe au travers à la fois d’un corps peu investi, peu mobilisable imposant la nécessaire édification de barrière (l’obésité) entre le « dedans fragilisé » et le dehors vécu comme dangereux. Nous pouvons dès lors considérer la difficulté des sujets de se résoudre à une perte de poids qui ne permettrait plus au sujet de recourir à ce type de fonctionnement. <p><p>De ce fait, nous avons conclu qu'il s'agit dans la prise en charge de ces sujets de reconsidérer l’image du corps comme outil thérapeutique vecteur d’amélioration à court et à long terme. / Doctorat en Sciences Psychologiques et de l'éducation / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished