Overconcern About Thinness In Schoolgirls In Taiwan

Nutrition Research Newsletter, March, 2000

Eating disorders are especially prevalent during adolescence and early adulthood in Western society. Onset occurs most frequently around 18 years of age, but girls as young as nine have been documented to be concerned and dissatisfied with their weight. A study published in a recent Journal of the American Dietetic Association was designed to obtain data regarding desired body weight, satisfaction with body weight, self-perceived weight categories, and weight-loss practices of 10- to 14-year old girls in Taiwan, as relatively little is known about the onset of eating disorders in Eastern countries.

The random sample of 843 girls included in the study was a cross section of all public and private schools in a major city. Each girl completed a questionnaire regarding body weight perception, satisfaction, desired body weight, and intentional weight loss experiences. Height and weight were measured by research assistants, and students were classified as either obese, overweight, acceptable weight, underweight, or severely underweight. Categories were based upon body mass index.

There were 68 subjects (8.1%) in the severely underweight category, 88 subjects (10.4%) in the underweight category, 542 subjects (64.3%) in the acceptable weight category, 91 subjects (10.8%) in the overweight category, and 54 subjects (6.4%) in the obese category. A high percentage of girls in each weight category perceived themselves as being in a higher weight category than they actually were. For example, 33% of the subjects in the underweight group perceived themselves as being in the acceptable weight category, and 10.2% of the subjects thought that they were in the overweight category. Thirty-three percent of the subjects in the acceptable weight group perceived themselves as overweight, and 11.4% labeled themselves as obese. greater than 50% of the girls that were overweight though they were obese.

Nearly 65.5% of the subjects in this study desired to be thinner, including 28 subjects from the underweight and severely underweight categories. Thirty-eight percent of all subjects had tried to lose weight, including 191 subjects with acceptable weights and 11 subjects who were underweight. In the obese group, 83.3% of the subjects had intentionally tried to lose weight in the past. The mean discrepancy between perceived and actual weight categories increased with age, as did the difference between actual body weight and desired body weight. These findings indicate that girls are dissatisfied with weight during puberty, and the dissatisfaction worsens between the ages of 13 and 14 years. A longitudinal study is needed on this population to determine if eating disorders become prevalent in the upcoming years. Dietitians and other health professionals should be aware of the overconcern with weight loss and body image that exists in school-age girls. Children must be educated that excessive weight loss during this critical stage of growth can lead to permanent and undesirable physiologic consequences.

Y. Wong, M. Bennink, M. Wang, S. Yamamoto, Overconcern about Thinness in 10- to 14-Year-Old Schoolgirls in Taiwan, JADA 100 (2): 234-236 (February 2000) [Correspondence: Yueching Wong, MS, RD, Dept. of Nutrition, Chungshan Medical and Dental College, 110 Sec 1, JeinKuo North Rd., Taichung City 402, Taiwan.]