The prevalence of disordered eating among children and adolescents has been steadily increasing, posing an increase in the need for treatment. Recognizing and addressing disordered eating in childhood and adolescence is critical to fostering a healthy relationship with food and body image and ensuring the overall well-being of youth. Play has long…

Eating Disturbances (ED) are common in young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and may be influenced by Social Functioning and Social Anxiety, but no report has been made of the relative associations between these factors. Fifty-three girls with ASD aged (M age = 9.6 yr, range = 6 yr to 14 yr) rated their Social Anxiety and their ED, and…

Feeding problems, such as picky eating and food avoidance, are common in youth with autism. Other feeding and eating problems (e.g. disordered eating, fear of trying new foods, and insistence on specific food presentation) are also common in this population. This scoping review describes the nature and extent of feeding and eating problems in…

Participation in elite sport, and in particular those sports with special demands in terms of weight and shape, is associated with a higher risk for eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa [Sundgot-Borgen, J., & Torstveit, M. K. (2010). Aspects of disordered eating continuum in elite high intensity sports. "Scandinavian Journal of…

Concern over increased childhood obesity has spurred various school-based interventions. However, these interventions often have little positive effect and may inadvertently contribute to unhealthy behaviors during weight loss attempts. Indeed, a general emphasis on appearance and weight (rather than health) can promote eating disordered…

Statistically controlling for physical size is common practice, especially in self-perception studies uncovering the etiology of maladaptive behaviors, such as eating disorders. For example, social physique anxiety (SPA)--apprehension about social evaluations while presenting oneself in front of others (Leary, 1992)--is a prominent correlate of…

Eating disorder research has predominantly focused on White adolescent females. More recent research suggests that eating disorders occur in various racial and age groups. The current study examines prevalence and stability of body image dissatisfaction and eating disturbance in 9- and 10-year-old girls and whether there is variability by racial…

This study evaluated structural equation models of the associations among family functioning, childhood abuse, depression, anxiety, alexithymia, and eating disorder symptomatology in a sample of 412 European American and 192 African American female undergraduates. Additionally, the specific roles of anxiety, depression, and alexithymia as…

Body image dissatisfaction and eating disturbances are prevalent among youths and are beginning at an increasingly younger age. The glorification of the ideal, thin body type surrounds youths, in direct contrast to the increasing rates of overweight and obesity among the same population. The messages that children and adolescents are receiving are…

Objective: Thin body preoccupation and social pressure to be thin (TBPSP) in adolescence are risk factors for the development of full and partial bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. This study examined precursors of these potent risk factors. Method: A prospective study followed 134 children from birth to 11.0 years and their parents.…

Examined the role of gender traits, body mass index (BMI), and self-concept in predicting problem eating and body dissatisfaction among Australian children. Data from questionnaires and BMI measures indicated that gender traits predicted problem eating for boys, self-concept was predictive for both sexes, and BMI was predictive for girls. BMI…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review current programmes and major issues surrounding preventive interventions for body image and obesity in schools. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was carried out by analysing papers cited in major literature databases from the last 50 years. This review describes and summarises…

This report reviews current statistics on the state of girls' lives in the United States at the end of the 20th century. Six chapters cover: (1) "Framing Gender, Identity, and Adolescence" (trends in research on adolescent girls, exploring identities, how girls are doing, and conditions that support or hinder girls' healthy sense of…