Development of a body image assessment procedure for children and preadolescents

✍ Scribed by Veron-Guidry, Staci ;Williamson, Donald A.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 518 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199611)20:3<287::aid-eat8>3.0.co;2-k

✦ Synopsis

Objective:

Researchers have identified eating disorders among prepubertal children; therefore, there is a need for the development of reliable and valid measures of body image in children. Method: In this investigation, a sample of 257 children ages 8 to 13 in Grades 3 through 7 were administered the Body Image Assessment Procedure for Children (BIA-C) or the Body Image Assessment Procedure for Preadolescents (BIA-P) and the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT). Results: Support for the reliability and validity of the BIA-C and BIA-P was found. The study also found that separate norms were needed for the male and female BIA-C and BIA-P procedures. Discussion: Examination of dieting behaviors and eating attitudes of these subjects highlights the fact that children at very young ages have acquired a clear preference for a thin body size; thus, there is a need for continued development of assessment measures for this population.