Abstract

DE CICCO, Marina Fibe et al. Body image, dieting and beliefs on nourishment in adolescents and adults. Psicol. hosp. (São Paulo) [online]. 2006, vol.4, n.1, pp. 0-0. ISSN 2175-3547.

Dissatisfaction with weight, inappropriate dieting methods and magical beliefs about eating constitute risk factors which lead to the development of eating disorder symptoms. The present study compares the prevalence of such factors in groups of adolescent and adult women. 160 subjects took part in this study (80 teenagers and 80 adult women between the ages of 20 and 40 years old). None of them had been previously diagnosed with eating disorders. In both groups it is possible to conclude that the beliefs are associated with weight dissatisfaction and attempts to lose weight. Adolescent and adult women who see themselves as fat more frequently tend to believe in fasting as a form of detoxifying the body, and they use more laxatives and purgatives to lose weight. Even so, there are more teenagers that are dissatisfied with their weight. Finally, the study gives a broader explanation of how women relate to their bodies in different stages of their lives.

Keywords : Body image; Dieting; Beliefs; Adolescence; Adult women.

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