Obesity constitutes one of America's major health problems. It has been estimated that there are 40 to 80 million Americans who are considered obese (Stuart & Davis, 1972). When 20% above ideal weight is used as a criterion of overweight, it is approximated that 25% to 45% of American adults fall into this category (Rodin, 1977).
There is a sex difference in the prevalence of obesity. While some studies suggest that biological factors predispose females toward obesity (Stuart & Jacobson, 1979), other studies attribute the sex differences to social factors (Hall & Havassy 1981; Wooley, Wooley, & Dyrenforth 1979a; Zegman 1983). Research has shown that females tend to be more concerned with their body image than their male counterparts and therefore dieting is more frequent among females (Dwyer & Mayer 1970; Zegman 1983). Sex differences in dietary practices and attitudes toward weight may reflect differential social learning histories between males and females.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:rtd-5781 |
Date | 01 January 1985 |
Creators | Rollins, Mary F. |
Publisher | University of Central Florida |
Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | text |
Format | application/pdf |
Source | Retrospective Theses and Dissertations |
Rights | Public Domain |
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