Dieting behavior among 11–15-year-old girls in Merseyside and the Northwest of England

Purpose: To examine the general dieting behavior and characteristics of adolescent girls in the United Kingdom, and in particular, the Northwest of England. Methods: A total of 569 girls, ages 11–15 years, from six schools in the Merseyside and Lancashire area, representing a cross-section of social status, completed a nonstandardized questionnaire concerning general dieting behavior. Data were analyzed using SPSS (p < .05 was considered significant). Results: The incidence of dieting was 35.3%. The earliest reported age of starting to diet was 8 years. Significantly more girls from the independent schools (45.2%) had started to diet by the age of 10 years, compared to girls from the comprehensive schools (24%) (p = .03). Of those who had dieted, 30.3% had dieted up to two times during the previous 12 months, 17.4% had dieted up to four times, and 6% had dieted for most of the time. Most girls (33%) dieted for 2–4 weeks at a time, and 66% thought that dieting was good for their health. Only 52% said their parents did not approve of them dieting. Most girls (42.1%) dieted because they felt they were too fat. Conclusion: This study has shown that many young girls are engaging in potentially harmful dieting practices from a very early age, and are of the opinion that dieting is a healthy activity. This would suggest that many misconceptions are held with regard to nutritional advice and education, and that such information should be reviewed and changed accordingly.