Influences on Body Image and Disordered Eating Among Secondary School Students

Body image concerns are at the heart of adolescence for boys and girls. As children reach puberty and begin to develop secondary sex characteristics, numerous boys adopt strategies to increase muscle tone, and numerous girls adopt strategies to lose weight or retard physical growth (e.g., breasts, broader hips) (McCabe, Ricciardelli, & Banfield, 2001; McCabe, Ricciardelli, & Fenmore, 2002; Ricciardelli, 2001). Consequently, studies have shown that girls are generally more negative about their bodies, develop lower self-esteem, and are concerned more with having an ideal, thin shape than boys (Marcotte, Potvin, & Papillon, 2002; O’Dea, & Abraham, 2001; Rhea, 1999; Siegel, 2002). However, many boys of all ages report dissatisfaction with William Thatcher, MSPH, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Building 54, Room 128, Pensacola, FL 32514; E-mail: [email protected]. Deborah Rhea, EdD, is an associate professor at Texas Christian University, 2800 S. University Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76129. their bodies, often associated with reduced self-esteem to be bigger (Cohane & Pope, 2001) or enhance muscle tone (McCabe et al., 2002). Seeking effective dieting strategies (e.g., liquid diets, no-fat diets, no-carbohydrate diets) to create a perceived ideal body shape can compound this psychological battle (Overdorf & Gill, 1994; Petrie et al., 1996). These diets can lead to other abnormal practices such as the misuse of vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, and diet pills to enhance one’s body image. Individuals with warped body images and the associated low self-esteem lay the groundwork for weight preoccupation and disordered eating (President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Report, 1997). Research has shown that several factors Influences on Body Image and Disordered Eating Among Secondary School Students