Intuitive eating assesses the degree to which individuals eat based on physiological cues rather than emotional or situational cues. The Intuitive Eating Scale was initially developed using college women. This study extends the work of Tylka and reports on the psychometric evaluation of the Intuitive Eating Scale (IES) in a sample of 515 middle school boys and girls. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered 4 factors: unconditional permission to eat, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, trust in internal hunger/satiety cues and awareness of internal hunger/satiety cues; confirmatory factor analysis suggested that this 4-factor model adequately fit the data after 4 items with low factor loadings were deleted. Supporting its construct validity, IES scores were negatively related to body mass index, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, pressure for thinness, and internalization of the thin ideal, and were positively related to satisfaction with life, and experiencing greater positive affect.

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The purpose of the current study was to further our understanding of the subjective experience of middle-age African American women who are HIV+ and on highly active antiretroviral therapy, particularly how self-reported lipodystrophy (LD), levels of body dissatisfaction, body image quality of life, and engagement in disordered eating behaviors are related. Multiple regression, MANOVA, MANCOVA, ANOVA, and chi-square were utilized to test hypotheses. Results revealed that HIV+ and HIV- women did not differ significantly on their levels of body dissatisfaction or drive for thinness. When HIV+ women were examined in more detail a pattern emerged: women who self-reported fat hypertrophy had significantly higher levels of body dissatisfaction, bingeing, but not purging, and dietary restriction and fear of weight gain compared to women who did not self-report LD. About 75% of the sample was overweight or obese, and when BMI was controlled for, these differences persisted for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors for fat hypertrophy, but not fat atrophy. Overall, the findings indicate that the type of LD, specifically hypertrophy, is more related to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors, than LD in general. Clinical implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo traduzir, adaptar e validar o Eating Bahaviours and Body Image Test (EBBIT), para uso com crianças de uma cidade do interior do Estado de São Paulo. Foram sujeitos do estudo 261 escolares do sexo feminino, na faixa etária de 9 a 12 anos. Por meio da análise fatorial, com rotação varimax avaliou-se a consistência interna do instrumento. Esta análise, realizada pelo programa SPSS, versão 10.0, revelou dois fatores. Para o instrumento total a consistência interna foi adequada (∝ de Cronbach: 0,89) e para os dois fatores (1 e 2) os valores de ∝ também foram considerados satisfatórios (∝=0,90 e ∝=0,80 respectivamente), mostrando assim que o EBBIT é útil para uma avaliação precoce, rastreando comportamentos indicadores de possíveis distúrbios no comportamento alimentar. Foram mantidas as características psicométricas do instrumento original. / This study aimed to translate, adapt and validate the Eating Bahaviours and Body Image Test (EBBIT), to be used with children in a city in the interior of São Paulo. Study subjects were 261 female students between 9 and 12 years old. The internal consistency of the instrument was evaluated by means of factorial analysis with varimax rotation. This analysis was accomplished through SPSS, version 10.0, revealed two factors. The internal consistency was adequate for the total instrument (Cronbach’s ∝: 0.89) and ∝ values were also considered satisfactory for the two factors (1 and 2) (∝=0.90 and ∝=0.80 respectively), which demonstrated that the EBBIT is useful for an initial evaluation, tracing behavior that indicates possible eating behavior disorders. The psychometric characteristics of the original instrument were maintained.

Over 25 million people in the United States are affected by eating disorders, and understanding children's eating style can help determine maladaptive eating behaviors. This study was an investigation of parents' beliefs about their children's eating behaviors in relation to parental work status. Two theoretical frameworks were used to guide the study. Symbolic interactionism focused on communication between parents and children. Social learning theory focused on adolescents possibly learning their eating behaviors from observing their parents' eating habits. The research questions and hypotheses examined if there was a relationship between the work status of parents and their beliefs about maladaptive eating behaviors in their adolescents. This study used the parent-report measure, Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ). A nonexperimental causal-comparative quantitative research method was used. The participants included parents who have children between the ages of 6 and 12, and the sample size for this study was 126. A link between parental beliefs and early precursors of disordered eating in adolescents was not established. If patterns of a relationship between parents' work status and beliefs about children's maladaptive eating behaviors had been found, the patterns may have provided the possibility of serving as a factor of early intervention programs. The social change aspect obtained from this study may be that parents can work outside the home or not, and there may be other variables (such as family time, closeness, communication, stress) that may provide more information on how parents perceive children's eating behaviors.

The present study examined whether there was a relationship between daughters' eating disorder symptomology and maternal food control and health-conscious eating attitudes. Eighty-eight females with a continuum of eating disorder behaviors (DSM-IV eating disorders through nondieters) and 74 of their mothers participated. Participants completed the Anorexia Bulimia Inventory, two subscales from the Eating Disorder Inventory, the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire , the Family Environment Scale, the Maternal Food Control and Meal Preparation Scale, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Results indicated that, in general, daughters' reported eating disorder symptomology and perceived familial control were related. Some of the more specific maternal food control variables perceived by daughters were also related to their reported symptomology. Yet, maternal reports on these same variables tended not to correspond to daughters' reported symptomology. Specifically, regression analyses indicated that a combination of perceived high familial control, perceived low maternal concern with healthy meal preparation and restriction, and perceived high maternal anxiety regarding healthy eating predicted higher levels of reported anorexic symptomology. Similar variables predicted reported bulimic symptomology, but only increased general familial control predicted symptoms characteristic of both disorders. Analyses also revealed that daughters' eating disorder symptomology tended to be inversely related to responding in a socially desirable manner. Perceptual differences were noted and discussed between mothers' and daughters' reports of familial control. Lastly, mothers' report of food control was not correlated with reported familial control. This study was the first to examine the more specific maternal control issues, maternal health-conscious attitudes, and their relationship to daughters' maladaptive eating behaviors. The results of the present study are consistent with the speculation that a combination of daughters' perception of high familial control, high maternal anxieties about children's eating practices, and low maternal concern with healthy meal preparation might contribute to the development or maintenance of anorexic and bulimic symptomology. Finally, limitations were discussed and recommendations were made for future research.

Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000), the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the protective role of self-determined (i.e., autonomous motivation) relative to non self-determined motivation (i.e., controlled motivation) in response to various media portrayals of the female body. Findings from three laboratory experiments support these hypotheses. Women who felt less self-determined in their daily activities (Study 1 and Study 3) and in the regulation of their eating behaviors (Study 2), perceived more pressure from the media to be thin (Study 1), experienced more body dissatisfaction (Study 1 and Study 2), expressed greater concerns over the quantity of food in their diets (Study 1), and reported more negative affect (Study 2) following exposure to a video which exemplified the societal ―thin ideal‖ compared to a video which did not. They also generated more negative self-appraisals of their body‘s appearance and competence (Study 3), experienced more body shame (Study 3), and reported more introjected reasons for restricting their actual intake of chocolate (Study 3) following exposure to video which depicted the female body as an instrument of women‘s actions compared to one which depicted the female body as object (Study 3). Conversely, women who felt more self-determined in their daily activities (Study 1 and Study 3) expressed greater concerns over the quality of food in their diet (Study 1) and reported less vitality (Study 3) in response to media portrayals of women engaged in self-care (Study 1) and physical activities (Study 3). However, body dissatisfied women who felt more self-determined in the regulation of their eating behaviors (Study 2) formulated more intentions to monitor their food intake and eat fewer unhealthy foods (Study 2) after viewing a video of thin female models compared to no models. Together, these findings support a protective function for self-determined motivation and a potentiating function for non self-determined motivation.

Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000), the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the protective role of self-determined (i.e., autonomous motivation) relative to non self-determined motivation (i.e., controlled motivation) in response to various media portrayals of the female body. Findings from three laboratory experiments support these hypotheses. Women who felt less self-determined in their daily activities (Study 1 and Study 3) and in the regulation of their eating behaviors (Study 2), perceived more pressure from the media to be thin (Study 1), experienced more body dissatisfaction (Study 1 and Study 2), expressed greater concerns over the quantity of food in their diets (Study 1), and reported more negative affect (Study 2) following exposure to a video which exemplified the societal ―thin ideal‖ compared to a video which did not. They also generated more negative self-appraisals of their body‘s appearance and competence (Study 3), experienced more body shame (Study 3), and reported more introjected reasons for restricting their actual intake of chocolate (Study 3) following exposure to video which depicted the female body as an instrument of women‘s actions compared to one which depicted the female body as object (Study 3). Conversely, women who felt more self-determined in their daily activities (Study 1 and Study 3) expressed greater concerns over the quality of food in their diet (Study 1) and reported less vitality (Study 3) in response to media portrayals of women engaged in self-care (Study 1) and physical activities (Study 3). However, body dissatisfied women who felt more self-determined in the regulation of their eating behaviors (Study 2) formulated more intentions to monitor their food intake and eat fewer unhealthy foods (Study 2) after viewing a video of thin female models compared to no models. Together, these findings support a protective function for self-determined motivation and a potentiating function for non self-determined motivation.

Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000), the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the protective role of self-determined (i.e., autonomous motivation) relative to non self-determined motivation (i.e., controlled motivation) in response to various media portrayals of the female body. Findings from three laboratory experiments support these hypotheses. Women who felt less self-determined in their daily activities (Study 1 and Study 3) and in the regulation of their eating behaviors (Study 2), perceived more pressure from the media to be thin (Study 1), experienced more body dissatisfaction (Study 1 and Study 2), expressed greater concerns over the quantity of food in their diets (Study 1), and reported more negative affect (Study 2) following exposure to a video which exemplified the societal ―thin ideal‖ compared to a video which did not. They also generated more negative self-appraisals of their body‘s appearance and competence (Study 3), experienced more body shame (Study 3), and reported more introjected reasons for restricting their actual intake of chocolate (Study 3) following exposure to video which depicted the female body as an instrument of women‘s actions compared to one which depicted the female body as object (Study 3). Conversely, women who felt more self-determined in their daily activities (Study 1 and Study 3) expressed greater concerns over the quality of food in their diet (Study 1) and reported less vitality (Study 3) in response to media portrayals of women engaged in self-care (Study 1) and physical activities (Study 3). However, body dissatisfied women who felt more self-determined in the regulation of their eating behaviors (Study 2) formulated more intentions to monitor their food intake and eat fewer unhealthy foods (Study 2) after viewing a video of thin female models compared to no models. Together, these findings support a protective function for self-determined motivation and a potentiating function for non self-determined motivation.

Pediatric overweight has become a topic of interest primarily due to the severity of potential physical and socioemotional consequences and escalating rates of weight status in children. Legislative initiatives have called for the creation of intervention and prevention programs; however, the efficacy and effectiveness of most of these programs have either not been established or are limited. The limited effect programs have on pediatric obesity may be due to a lack of understanding of the complexity of risk and protective factors associated with weight status. Pediatric overweight occurs when social, familial, psychological, and biological factors interact to disrupt the balance of energy intake and energy expenditure. In order to impact weight status, it is important to understand specific factors that are associated with overweight and obesity. Research has started to examine social, familial, and psychological factors that can be addressed in prevention and intervention programs. The present study examines potential relations between aspects of executive function and pediatric weight status as well as obesity-prone eating behaviors. Executive function is operationally defined as a problem-solving construct with four steps that work together to solve a problem: recognizing the problem, planning a course of action, executing the action, and evaluating the success of the action. Participants (78 children and their caregivers) between the ages of four and seven had their heights and weights measured, completed language-appropriate receptive language assessments, and were engaged in four tasks that theoretically correspond to the four aspects of problem-solving. Caregivers of the participating children completed demographic, economic hardship, child eating behaviors, and child daily executive functioning measures. No significant findings were indicated between problem-solving phases of executive function and current weight status. Using multiple linear regression analyses, findings indicated that children who have high general appetites for food demonstrated deficits in the problem recognition and plan execution phases of executive function on caregiver-report measures even when accounting for racial/ethnic membership and socioeconomic hardship. In addition, children who cope with their emotions through eating (i.e., Emotional Overeating) rather than through other means also exhibit deficits in problem recognition, problem analysis, and plan execution on caregiver-report measures even when accounting for racial/ethnic membership and socioeconomic hardship. The findings presented in this study are discussed in light of the current literature and their implications for the future direction of intervention and prevention programs for pediatric overweight and obesity.