Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To examine perceptions of dieting among pre and postmenarchial female school students.

METHOD:

All 51 female students of mean (SD) age 12.6 (0.6) years from a state school volunteered to complete a questionnaire about general health, eating and weight control behaviors, and menstrual status. Height and weight were measured. Focus groups using structured questions and discussion were used to elicit responses about the meaning of dieting and its association with menarche.

RESULTS:

Postmenarchial females were significantly more likely than the same age premenarchial students to have increased their body mass index (BMI), to clearly articulate the meaning of dieting, to report trying to lose weight, and to use diet and exercise to lose weight. Premenarchial females did not have a clear perception of dieting. Premenarchial females who reported trying to lose weight equated dieting with healthy eating and did not include losing weight or the behaviors and feeling associated with the concept of dieting unless their BMI had increased and menarche was imminent.

DISCUSSION:

The concept of dieting that may result in weight loss and the behaviors and feelings associated with dieting did not develop until menarche and is likely to be associated with the rapid increase in height, weight, and body fat that precedes menarche. Educational interventions aimed at preventing eating disorders among premenarchial adolescents may therefore be inappropriate, ineffective, and potentially dangerous.