Body checking and body avoidance in eating disorders: Systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

This review sought to systematically review and quantify the evidence related to body checking and body avoidance in eating disorders (EDs) to gauge the size of effects, as well as examine potential differences between clinical and nonclinical populations, and between different ED subtypes. PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PsycEXTRA, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE databases were searched for academic literature published until October 2017. A grey literature search was also conducted. Fifty-two studies were identified for the systematic review, of which 34 were eligible for meta-analysis. Only female samples were included in the meta-analysis. ED cases experienced significantly higher body checking (d = 1.26, p < .001) and body avoidance (d = 1.88, p < .001) overall relative to healthy controls, but neither behaviour varied by ED subtype. In nonclinical samples, body checking (r = .60) and body avoidance (r = .56) were significantly correlated with ED pathology (p < .001). These findings support transdiagnostic theoretical models and approaches to ED treatment and early intervention programmes.

A longitudinal examination of body‐checking behaviors and eating disorder pathology in a community sample of adolescent males and females

“…Body‐checking behaviors include frequent weighing, scrutinizing body parts in mirrors, checking clothes for fit, and measuring body parts. Over the past decade, body checking has gained increased recognition as both a maintaining factor for eating disorders, and an important target for treatment (e.g., Nikodijevic, Buck, Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz, De Paoli, & Krug, 2018; Walker, White, & Srinivasan, 2018). Less research has examined the potential role of body‐checking behaviors with respect to the development of eating disorders (Walker et al, 2018).…”

“…The majority of research on body checking has been conducted with adult female populations. Therefore, less is known about the role of body checking in younger groups and in males (Nikodijevic et al, 2018; Walker et al, 2018). Given that the average age of onset for eating disorder pathology is during adolescence, research is needed in this age group.…”

Body Image as Well as Eating Disorder and Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms in Heterosexual, Homosexual, and Bisexual Women

“…The cognitive–affective component includes negative thoughts, attitudes, and feelings towards one’s own body, which can manifest as body dissatisfaction, disgust, shame, or sadness (7, 12, 13). The behavioral component describes body-related behaviors (7) such as investment in one’s own body in terms of dieting or exercise, appearance fixing (14), body-related avoidance (15, 16), and body checking (17).…”

Gender Differences in Affective and Evaluative Responses to Experimentally Induced Body Checking of Positively and Negatively Valenced Body Parts

“…While various studies employing different designs (i.e., experimental or descriptive) have demonstrated the clinical and non-clinical relevance of BC in females, less research has been conducted on BC in male populations. Male BC strategies significantly differ from those in females, as males tend to evaluate their chest muscles and overall muscle leanness (Alfano et al, 2011) whereas females examine their body girth in the mirror (for a systematic review, see Walker et al, 2009; Kachani et al, 2013; Nikodijevic et al, 2018). Several authors propose different internalized body ideals as one explanation for the variation of BC across genders (Hildebrandt et al, 2010).…”