A Biopsychosocial Model of Dietary Restraint in Early Adolescent Boys

Abstract

The current study replicated and extended previous research on disordered eating and dietary intent (i.e., self-reported restriction of caloric intake with the purpose of losing weight) in boys and men by examining the direct and indirect influence of sociocultural pressure, social body comparisons, internalization of societal appearance ideals, body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, body composition, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on dietary restraint. Participants were 681 boys (X age = 12.49 years, SD = 0.99) from six middle schools located in the south central United States. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), 32% to 35% of the Dietary Restraint variance was explained across two independent samples. Pressures to lose weight and diet predicted all the psychosocial outcomes, whereas higher levels of (CRF) predicted higher levels of body satisfaction and self-esteem and lower body mass indices (BMIs), which predicted lower dietary restraint. The results from this study support a multifactorial approach to understanding boys' dietary behaviors.

Why context matters when changing the diet: A narrative review of placebo, nocebo, and psychosocial context effects and implications for outcome research and nutrition counselling

“…It highlights the micro context of the development of health and by now has also become established and empirically validated in medicine ( 49 ); an overview of studies examining the model see ( 50 ) and psychoneuroimmunology ( 51 , 52 ). It is occasionally referred to by nutritional researchers but receives little or no attention as a paradigm in research on diet changes [exceptions: ( 27 , 53 )]. But an isolated search on “physical,” “mental,” “social,” or “environmental” factors has proved to be not very helpful for an appropriate description and understanding of complex phenomena such as health and illness and the development of effective (nutritional) strategies for counselling and prevention.…”

Boys’ Internalized Appearance-Related Norms from Different Socializers Uniquely, Negatively Relate to Wellbeing and Gender Beliefs

“…These male appearance norms stem from the traditional masculinity ideology that men should be strong, independent, and capable (David & Brannon, 1976;Murnen & Karazsia, 2017;Parent et al, 2016). When adolescent boys hear and see representations of these male appearance-related norms, they may internalize themthat is, boys may adopt these beliefs into their conscious and unconscious view of themselves and their relation to the world around them (Knauss et al, 2008;Mitchell et al, 2017). Internalized appearancerelated norms are subsequently linked to wellbeing indicators such as selfesteem (Ayala, 2020;McCreary & Sasse, 2000) and self-presentation to peers, and to beliefs about gender, such as regard for gender and adherence to traditional masculinity ideology (Martin & Govender, 2011).…”

“…Internalized appearancerelated norms are subsequently linked to wellbeing indicators such as selfesteem (Ayala, 2020;McCreary & Sasse, 2000) and self-presentation to peers, and to beliefs about gender, such as regard for gender and adherence to traditional masculinity ideology (Martin & Govender, 2011). Internalized appearance-related norms are particularly salient for boys entering adolescence as their bodies begin to change and their romantic attractions increase (Mitchell et al, 2017).…”

“…We are less aware, however, of the extent to which early adolescent boys may have similar appearance-related concerns as older boys. Early adolescence, and the advent of puberty-driven physical changes, may be a pivotal time for the development of body image concerns (Mitchell et al, 2017; Yager et al, 2013). For example, early adolescent boys pay much more attention to physical appearance, weight, and diet than they did as children (Adams et al, 2000).…”

“…Research on appearance-related norms generally includes reports from individuals about multiple socialization sources such as parents, peers, self, and media. But these socializers are then almost always combined to form composite variables of appearance-related socialization (e.g., Mitchell et al, 2017; Papp et al, 2013; Thompson et al, 2017). Only rarely are the potentially unique effects of norms related to these different socializers examined.…”