Abstract

PEREIRA, Ana M G R. Concerns about weight and the use of diets by adolescents. Acta Port Nutr [online]. 2016, n.6, pp.14-18. ISSN 2183-5985.  https://doi.org/10.21011/apn.2016.0603.

Introduction: Adolescence is a maturation period, when the adolescent searches for the recognition of his identity. The body transformations make them turn to themselves, seeking to understand the changes, where frequently the worries about weight and body image are a serious problem. Objectives: To acknowledge the worries about weight and adolescents use of diets. Methodology: Descriptive study of transversal methodology. A sample composed by 600 educated students, with ages among 12 to 18 years old, in educational establishments in Bragança city, was studied. For the data gathering, it was used a self-administered questionnaire adapted from Luciana Apetito et al (2010). Results: As a main result, it was determined that 61,2% from the boys and 83,6% from the girls stated that they worry about their weight, with statistically significant differences between genders. Health and appearance were the major concerns. Restrictive diets were more followed by girls (18,5%). Among the teenagers who diet, 8,6% of the cases were prescribed by doctors, 22,2% by a nutritionist, 4,6% was advised by a friend and 19,8% by a member of the family. In 44,4% of the cases, the adolescent started the diet by himself or following a magazine advice/internet. Conclusions: The results reveal gender differences regarding body perception and that the resort to diets is based on unreliable sources of information. This way, the apprehension of nutricional knowledge on adolescents must be promoted, allowing an adequate food choice and, also, the ability to question smartly daily information.

Keywords : Adolescents; Diets; Worries about weight.

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