Factors affecting the dietary quality of adolescent girls

Extract: Investigated were variables to differentiate 2 groups of adolescent girls, 1 consuming a good quality diet and 1 consuming a poor diet. Of the initial sample of 276 adolescent girls surveyed, the 50 girls with the best and the 50 with the worst diets were identified. No difference between the groups was found on 3 personality traits (self-esteem, social recognition, and energy level). The use of a multivariate stepwise discriminant function analysis resulted in the selection of 3 variables as the strongest predictors of dietary quality: hours per day spent in inactive pursuits, ideal body image choices, and past dieting attempts. (author)