Citation
Manturuk, Kim (2008). Factors promoting and inhibiting dieting among adolescents and young adults.
2008 Add Health Users Conference. Bethesda, MD.
Abstract
Why do teenage girls diet? This is a far more complex question than it initially seems. Even the most obvious answer, to lose weight, is not always correct. Adolescent dieting is not solely about managing weight; it is a gendered social behavior that is associated with social status, peer esteem, and ego gratification among young women. In this paper, I examine dieting among adolescent girls and young adults using data collected from the In-School and In-Home Add Health surveys, Waves I and III. I present a theoretical framework for understanding dieting and status that takes into account context specific influences. From this framework, I present a series of models predicting dieting as an outcome related to school environment, sports participation, academic achievement, and female physical development during adolescence. I find that dieting is less common among adolescent girls who participate in sports, but more common among girls who have higher academic achievement. I also find that young women in college are more likely to diet than either college graduates or women who did not attend college. I discuss implications of these findings are directions for further research on the relationship between dieting and pathways to status within the school environment.
URL
https://addhealth.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/docs/news/users-conference/2008%20Add%20Health%20Users%20Conference%20Abstracts.pdfReference Type
Conference proceeding
Book Title
2008 Add Health Users Conference
Author(s)
Manturuk, Kim
Year Published
2008
City of Publication
Bethesda, MD
Reference ID
6311