This article discusses the gender differences in perceived physical appearance that contribute to problems such as depression and eating disorders. Ways are explored to help children and adolescents reject media messages and base their self-esteem on genuine qualities. (Author/MKA)

Study examined the predictive association for both global and academic self esteem among students ages 9-13 in a large sample of New Zealanders. Results showed levels of global self esteem significantly predicted adolescent reports of problem eating, suicidal ideation, and multiple compromising behaviors. Implications are discussed for the…

Compares actual and preferred weights of dieters and nondieters and examines the relationship of increasing weight to preferred weight and the decision to diet in high school students. Most dieters studied were not overweight. Some were even underweight. Documents the need for effective nutrition and exercise programs to help students accept and…

School counselors are in daily contact with the highest risk group for developing eating disorders--children and adolescents. School counselors are in a position to identify at-risk individuals, implement effective school-based prevention programs, make appropriate referrals, and provide support for recovering individuals. An overview of a theory…

Burgeoning research on the adolescent (e.g., middle-school) years suggests that this is a particularly vulnerable period for the development of maladaptive eating patterns. Prior research has established a link between perceptions of maternal parenting practices and adolescent onset of problematic eating behaviors. The authors hypothesized that…

Bulimia represents a major health problem in the United States, especially in high schools, colleges, and universities. This paper reviews literature on the definition, etiology, and therapeutic approaches for bulimia. The literature points to potential physiological bases for the disorder since some researchers reported similarities between it…

This article discusses issues related to body image in adolescents, explaining what school practitioners can do to encourage lifelong healthy habits that enhance body image. Body image is the picture of physical self carried in the mind's eye. This impression can have little resemblance to how a teen actually looks. Body image culturalization is…

This book examines how four adolescent girls constructed the meaning of their bodies, discussing oppression and resistance, voice and silence, and girls' desires to be seen and heard for who they are as they experience themselves individually and socially. It presents the struggles of two educational researchers trying to create ethical research…

Surveyed 175 female junior high school students in an effort to ascertain both their present eating behavior and their attitudes regarding dieting and concern about body weight. Many subjects appeared to have considered these matters as early as elementary school. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed. (RJM)

Finds that black adolescent girls were more satisfied with their bodies and had a larger personal ideal size than white adolescent girls, but engaged in no fewer eating-disordered behaviors and had no less drive to be thin; and these girls idealized television images equally and were as likely to compare themselves and their friends to television…

Studied the weight-loss behaviors of 369 Australian tenth-grade girls and possible parental influences related to weight and shape. Parental encouragement to lose weight was a more significant predictor of daughter's dietary restraint than parents' own dietary-restraint levels. (SLD)

Examined relationship between acculturation and eating-disorder symptoms in normative samples of 920 adolescents girls of high school age. Found that acculturation was positively associated with structured-interview defined partial syndrome eating disorders in Hispanic girls, but not in Asian or European-American girls. There was no relation…

Children and adolescents live in a world where thin is "in" and the pressure to conform to society's view of the ideal body, when combined with other life factors, can set the stage for an eating disorder, a psychiatric illness characterized by an extreme desire to be thin and an intense fear of weight gain. Clinical eating disorders and…

Although eating disorders in children and adolescents remain a serious cause of morbidity and mortality, the evidence base for effective interventions is surprisingly weak. The adult literature is growing steadily, but this is mainly with regard to psychological therapies for bulimia nervosa and to some extent in the field of pharmacotherapy. This…

The current review aims to evaluate the literature on eating disorders and athletes with the purpose of making recommendations for sport psychologists and other relevant personnel on how to proceed in identifying, managing, and preventing eating disorders in school settings. Whereas the intention of this review is to make recommendations for…