Dieting Practices among College Men in
Japan
Weight Study Aim
To obtain baseline data regarding body mass index (BMI), weight satisfaction
and weight perception in male college students. Approaches used to lose
weight and characteristics of dieters were also investigated.
Weight Study Methods
Written questionnaires and height and weight measurements were used to
collect data. Nine-hundred thirty male college students selected by multiple
stage sampling among colleges in Taiwan participated in this study. Simple
frequency and ANOVA were used to analyze data. Post hoc analyses were
performed with the LSD test when the F ratio for the ANOVA was significant.
Weight Study Results
The mean BMI for all subjects was 21.7. Males with a BMI 22.5 are considered
thin by Taiwanese and world standards. Yet 34 percent of these males were
attempting to lose weight and 14 percent perceived themselves as either
overweight or obese. Exercise was the main approach to losing weight for
subjects in all weight categories. Subjects in the dissatisfied/dieting
group tended to measure body weight more frequently, spent more time exercising
and reading nutrition information and skipped breakfast and lunch more
frequently than non-dieters. Male dieters ate fewer vegetables and less
meat than non-dieters.
Weight Study Conclusions
Male college students had frequent misconceptions and dissatisfaction
with their body weight. Behavioral characteristics among those dissatisfied
with their weight indicate they are at risk for developing eating disorders.
Source: Taiwan Tokushima University, Japan.
1999
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