Negative body image and weight loss behaviour in Dutch school children

Abstract

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 10767 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. © The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.