Aims: Dieting is a behavioral phenomenon which is becoming more frequent among adolescents and the search for weight loss, through dieting, may result in an unbalanced nutrition both quantitatively and qualitatively. Our study intended to look at the eating habits and behavior on a cohort of adolescent girls to verify the presence of unbalanced diets and the prevalence of eating disorders with particular attention to the partial syndromes (EDNOS). Methods: A cross-sectional double-stage study was carried out on a group of schoolgirls in the suburbs of Naples. We assessed anthropometrical measures, body composition (skinfolds and bioimpedance analysis), dietary intake by means of 3-day food records and we administered the Eating Disorder Inventory 2 and Psychosocial Factor Risk Questionnaire. A multidisciplinary and double-stage approach had been used to get a better diagnosis of eating disorders in our sample. Results: 156 adolescent girls, 14–18 years old, took part in our study. Height, weight, and BMI were 160.38 cm, 58 kg and 22.6, respectively. Analysis of food intake showed that all the values reported, with the exception of lipids and sodium, were below the recommendations by LARN. We observed a prevalence of 1.28% of bulimia nervosa, 1.28% of binge eating, and 10.25% of eating disorders not otherwise specified. EDI 2 and PRFQ confirmed how important drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction dimensions are when we deal with adolescent girls and with the phenomenon of dieting. The study confirmed the validity of the PRFQ questionnaire to evaluate mass media influence on body perception and eating behavior of adolescents. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary and well-designed studies are needed to systematically and accurately study eating habits and behavior of adolescents to tackle more efficiently the increasing spread of eating disorders and obesity.

Aim: To evaluate the eating behaviour in normal-weight, overweight, and obese women seeking participation in a diet-based programme of weight reduction or achievement of ideal body weight. Methods: Thirty-seven obese, 42 overweight, and 14 normal-weight subjects, seen at an Italian university outpatient clinic, were asked to complete the Stunkard and Messick three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ). The TFEQ is designed to evaluate three different factors in eating behaviour: restraint, disinhibition, and hunger. Forty-eight mothers of children attending public primary schools (25 normal weight and 23 overweight) served as controls. Results: Significantly altered scores of cognitive restraint were observed both in normal-weight and in overweight subjects of the outpatient clinic as compared with normal-weight and overweight control women. Outpatient clinic overweight women scored significantly higher in terms of disinhibition as compared with overweight control subjects. Among outpatient clinic subjects, overweight women showed higher scores of disinhibition but similar values of cognitive restraint as compared with outpatient clinic normal-weight subjects. In obese patients, the scores of disinhibition and hunger were higher than those observed in outpatient clinic normal-weight subjects, whereas values of cognitive restraint were significantly lower. As compared with outpatient clinic overweight women, obese subjects showed significantly lower values of cognitive restraint. Conclusions: Alterations in TFEQ results are a frequent feature in subjects seeking participation in programmes of weight reduction or ideal body weight achievement. This may reflect a possible impairment in eating behaviour.

The present study evaluated impaired eating behaviour in women seeking participation in a diet-based programme of weight reduction or achievement of ideal body weight. Forty-seven obese, 42 overweight and 14 normal-weight subjects, attending an Italian university outpatient clinic completed the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). Forty-eight mothers of primary school children (25 normal-weight and 23 overweight) were used as controls. The EDI consists of 8 subscales, 3 evaluating psychopathology related to eating disorders (drive for thinness, bulimia, body dissatisfaction) and 5 evaluating general psychopathology (intereoceptive awareness, ineffectiveness, maturity fears, perfectionism, interpersonal distrust). Significantly altered scores in the first three subscales were observed both in normal-weight and overweight outpatients compared to the controls. The overweight outpatients scored higher than the obese patients in terms of drive for thinness and bulimia and higher than the normal-weight women for terms of bulimia, body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. The overweight controls scored significantly higher than the normal-weight controls in the first three subscales in the remaining subscales, mean values were also higher in the overweight group, though significance was only reached in the interpersonal distrust and interoceptive awareness subscales. Impaired eating behaviour is frequent in subjects seeking participation in weight reduction or ideal body weight achievement programmes.

Interdisciplinary therapy is necessary to personalize treatment and satisfy the patient's desire and need for appropriate and effective management.

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