The behaviour, body composition and eating habits of adolescent girls
The behaviour, body composition and eating habits of adolescent girls
The aims of this study were to explore associations between patterns of behaviour and variations in body composition and diet in adolescent girls; to explore the relationship between size at birth and later body composition; to describe how girls perceive foods; and to identify environmental influences on their food choices.
Behaviour and lifestyle did not appear to influence fatness. However, with every unit increase in fatness, measured by body mass index, there was a corresponding increase in the likelihood of girls dieting to lose weight. Girls who dieted tended to exercise and be vegetarian. They had lower energy intakes, obtained less of their energy from fat and ate more green vegetables and brown bread. Girls perceived these foods as 'healthy' and 'non-fattening'. They tended to eat 'healthy', 'non-fattening' foods at home as part of family meals. Amongst the foods girls perceived as 'unhealthy' and 'fattening' were crisps, chocolate and soft drinks. More of these foods were eaten by the socially independent girls who smoked, socialised with friends more often and ate fewer meals with family. A study of diet in pregnancy found that women who ate a diet high in energy and low in protein, through consumption of soft drinks, chocolate and crisps, tended to produce smaller babies. It is therefore important not only for their health but for the sake of their future offspring that young women acquire good eating habits.
Girls who were smallest at birth but fattest at the time of measurement were most centrally obese. Because of its association with insulin resistance, the development of central obesity in young women may have implications not only for their health but also for the health of their offspring. It is thus particularly important for girls who were small at birth to avoid becoming overweight.
University of Southampton
Barker, Mary Elizabeth
3d58c25d-1b68-487c-b649-65fc16b63ec1
1999
Barker, Mary Elizabeth
3d58c25d-1b68-487c-b649-65fc16b63ec1
Barker, Mary Elizabeth
(1999)
The behaviour, body composition and eating habits of adolescent girls.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
The aims of this study were to explore associations between patterns of behaviour and variations in body composition and diet in adolescent girls; to explore the relationship between size at birth and later body composition; to describe how girls perceive foods; and to identify environmental influences on their food choices.
Behaviour and lifestyle did not appear to influence fatness. However, with every unit increase in fatness, measured by body mass index, there was a corresponding increase in the likelihood of girls dieting to lose weight. Girls who dieted tended to exercise and be vegetarian. They had lower energy intakes, obtained less of their energy from fat and ate more green vegetables and brown bread. Girls perceived these foods as 'healthy' and 'non-fattening'. They tended to eat 'healthy', 'non-fattening' foods at home as part of family meals. Amongst the foods girls perceived as 'unhealthy' and 'fattening' were crisps, chocolate and soft drinks. More of these foods were eaten by the socially independent girls who smoked, socialised with friends more often and ate fewer meals with family. A study of diet in pregnancy found that women who ate a diet high in energy and low in protein, through consumption of soft drinks, chocolate and crisps, tended to produce smaller babies. It is therefore important not only for their health but for the sake of their future offspring that young women acquire good eating habits.
Girls who were smallest at birth but fattest at the time of measurement were most centrally obese. Because of its association with insulin resistance, the development of central obesity in young women may have implications not only for their health but also for the health of their offspring. It is thus particularly important for girls who were small at birth to avoid becoming overweight.
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Published date: 1999
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Local EPrints ID: 463970
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/463970
PURE UUID: 51784da2-6d9b-4c3e-9e29-03ceb0982e46
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 20:59
Last modified: 23 Jul 2022 02:15
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Author:
Mary Elizabeth Barker
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