Periodicum biologorum, Vol. 113 No. 3, 2011.
Short communication, Note
Is fad diet a quick fix? An observational study in a Croatian student group
INES BANJARI
orcid.org/0000-0002-8680-5007
; University of Osijek, Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Department of Food and Nutrition Research, F. Kuhača 18, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
DANIELA KENJERIĆ
; University of Osijek, Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Department of Food and Nutrition Research, F. Kuhača 18, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
MILENA L. MANDIĆ
; University of Osijek, Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Department of Food and Nutrition Research, F. Kuhača 18, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Objective: To determine how young adults, especially females, perceive themselves and manage their body weight. Also, the aim was to observe the impact of media bombarding with different fad diets on body weight management.
Type of study: Observational research
Participants: 149 young adults, age 18–24
Settings: Short questionnaires regarding body image, dieting, dietary
and lifestyle habits
Results: According to the BMI calculated from self-reported height and
weight, 12.1 % of subjects were underweight and 16.1 % overweight. Yet, only 5.4 % of participating young adults perceived themselves as underweight, while even 21.5%perceived themselves as overweight. For females, the issue seems to lie with their feeling fat (44.0 %) to a greater extent than being overweight (26.0 %). As expected, 42.0 % of females were trying to lose weight and were dieting. The influence of media on dieting was obvious, as well as peers influence. On the other hand, although BMI’s showed
that 33.3 % of males were overweight, only 16.7 % thought so, and 10.0 % of them were trying to lose weight and were dieting.
Conclusions: Body weight management by dieting is widely spread
among females, but is not giving quick results. Media influence is high, and popular magazines are, unfortunately, the source of diet in many cases.
Keywords
young adults; weight management; body perception; fad diets; media impact
Hrčak ID:
74086
URI
Publication date:
31.10.2011.
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