Eating and Body Image Concern Among Children

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Abstract
Questioned nonobese second, fourth, and sixth graders about their eating and body image concerns. Among fourth and sixth graders, girls indicated more concern than boys about being or becoming overweight, more concern about the effects of eating food, a greater desire to be thinner than their perceived body image, and a history of more dieting behavior. There were no gender differences among the second graders. Analyses for grade effects revealed that fourth- and sixth-grade girls were more concerned about being or becoming overweight and were more dissatisfied with their body image than second-grade girls. No grade differences were found among the boys. The results are discussed in terms of societal pressure on children concerning their body weight.