Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess body esteem, eating attitudes, and gender-role orientation in three age groups (first, third, and fifth graders). The first graders were interviewed individually; the third and fifth graders completed a questionnaire in a group setting in which the questions were read aloud to set a pace and help those who may have had difficulty reading. All children completed the Children’s Sex Stereotypes Measure, the children’s version of the Eating Attitudes Test, and the Body Esteem Scale. It was hypothesized that children as young as six or seven do understand the connection between eating and body weight, that a proportion of children do experience eating and weight concerns, and that feminine children are most likely to experience such concerns. The results demonstrated that children, as early as first grade, were indeed engaging in eating disordered behaviors and expressing dieting and weight concerns. The children appeared to understand the connection between eating and weight, and body esteem was found to be significantly lower in the fifth than the third graders. However, feminine children were not more likely to exhibit eating disordered behaviors.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (1987).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Brenner, D., & Hinsdale, G. (1978). Body build stereotypes and self-identification in three age groups of females.Adolescence, 13, 551–561.
Chaiken, S., & Pliner, P. (1987). Women, but not men, are what they eat: The effect of meal size and gender on perceived masculinity and femininity.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 13, 166–176.
Clifford, E. (1971). Body dissatisfaction in adolescence.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 33, 119–125.
Davies, E., & Furnham, A. (1986). The dieting and body shape concerns of adolescent females.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27, 417–428.
Flannery, E., Bugel, E., Owen, K., & Scher, D. (1991). The effect of food selection on perceived masculinity and femininity.Connecticut College Psychology Journal, 6, 52–59.
Garner, D., & Garfinkel, P. (1979). The Eating Attitudes Test: An index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa.Psychological Medicine, 9, 1–7.
Gilligan, C., Lyons, N. P., & Hanmer, T. J. (1990).Making connections: The relational worlds of adolescent girls at Emma Willard School. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Goldfield, A., & Chrisler, J. C. (1995). Body stereotyping and stigmatization of obese persons by first graders.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 81, 909–910.
Lerner, R., & Schroeder, C. (1971). Physique identification, preference, and aversion in kindergarten children.Development Psychology, 5, 538.
Lerner, R. M., & Gellert, E. (1969). Body build identification, preference, and aversion in children.Developmental Psychology, 1, 456–462.
Maloney, M., McGuire, J., & Daniels, S. (1988). Reliability testing of a children’s version of the Eating Attitudes Test.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 541–543.
Mendelson, B., & White, D. (1982). Relation between body-esteem and self-esteem of obese and normal children.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 54, 899–905.
Mori, D., Pliner, P., & Chaiken, S. (1987). “Eating lightly” and the self-presentation of femininity.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 693–702.
Owens-Job, A., & Bremer, B. (1991, March).Body image and eating habits in children. Poster presented at the meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.
Richards, M., Casper, R., & Larson, R. (1990). Weight and eating concerns among pre- and young adolescent boys and girls.Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 11, 203–209.
Staffieri, J. R. (1967). A study of social stereotype of body image in children.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7, 101–104.
Staffieri, J. R. (1972). Body build and behavioral expectancies in young females.Developmental Psychology, 6, 125–127.
Timko, C., Striegel-Moore, R., Silberstein, L., & Rodin, J. (1987). Femininity/masculinity and disordered eating in women: How are they related?International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 701–712.
van Strien, T., & Bergers, G. (1988). Overeating and sex-role orientation in women.International Journal of Eating Disorders, 7, 89–99.
Williams, J., & Best, D. (1982).Measuring sex stereotypes: A thirty nation study. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
An earlier version of this article was presented at the 1993 meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in Arlington, VA.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Flannery-Schroeder, E.C., Chrisler, J.C. Body esteem, eating attitudes, and gender-role orientation in three age groups of children. Current Psychology 15, 235–248 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686880
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686880