Comparison of social physique anxiety and eating attitudes between obese and normal-weight adolescent girls: the moderating role of sociocultural influence on weight loss and body change

The existing literature reinforces the idea that social physique anxiety and eating attitudes differ in obese and normal weight adolescents. The purpose of the present research was to compare social physique anxiety and eating attitudes in obese and normal weight adolescents by examining the moderating role of sociocultural influence in weight loss and body change.

In this cross-sectional-descriptive study, 70 obese adolescent girls and 72 adolescent girls with normal weight were selected from among Tabriz City high school students. Data were collected on social physique anxiety (SPAS, Motle and Conroy), eating attitudes (EAT-26, Garner et al.), and sociocultural influence on weight loss and body change (SCIQ, McCabe and Ricciardelli) using questionnaires and analyzed using multivariate two-factor ANOVA.

Based on the results obtained, there was no significant difference between obese adolescents and normal weight adolescents with regard to eating attitudes, while social physique anxiety in the obese adolescents was much more than in the normal weight adolescents. Analysis of the data showed further that a high sociocultural influence on weight loss and body change had a significant role in the rise of the social physique anxiety and danger of disturbed eating attitudes. However, it did not have any significant moderating role in the social physique anxiety or the danger of disturbed eating attitudes.

High level of sociocultural influence on weight loss and body change is an important factor in elevating the social physique anxiety and dangers of disturbed eating attitudes. However, obesity, though an important factor in elevating the social physique anxiety, has no significant effect on elevating the dangers of disturbed eating attitudes.