Negative body image and weight loss behaviour in Dutch school children.

BACKGROUND To assess the prevalence of negative body image and weight loss behaviour among children in primary and secondary school. METHODS Data were collected during the routine health assessment, in 10,767 children in the 6th grade (9-10 years) of primary school and the 2nd grade (13-14 years) of secondary school in Utrecht, a province in The Netherlands. Weight loss behaviour and body image were assessed during an interview and weight and height were measured. RESULTS A total of 7.8% of the boys and 13.9% of the girls of primary school had a negative body image (P < 0.001); 2.9% of the boys and 6.9% girls found themselves too fat, while having a normal body weight (P < 0.001). Weight-loss behaviour is found in 3.7% of the boys and 7.0% of the girls (P < 0.001). At secondary school, 15.8% of the boys and 32.5% of the girls found themselves too fat (P < 0.001). A total of 8.6% of the boys and 27.5% of the girls found themselves too fat, while having a normal body weight (P < 0.001); 4.7% of the boys and 12.9% of the girls with a normal weight showed weight loss behaviour (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION A negative body image and weight loss behaviour were already present in 9- to 10-year-old children and among children with a normal weight in The Netherlands. Among secondary school children (13-14 year), the prevalence of a negative body image and of weight loss behaviour was high, especially for girls. Diagnostic tools are needed for youth health-care workers to detect unnecessary weight loss behaviour.