A Longitudinal Study of the Development of Dieting Among 7-17-Year-Old Swedish Girls

The aim of the study was to examine the extent to which the prevalence of self-reported dieting and the wish to be thinner changed in 7-15-year-old girls over a 3-year period, and to explore potential differences between cohorts recruited in 1995 and 1999.  The results showed a marked increase in the wish to be thinner in the 10-14-year-old age range and an increase in dieting attempts among 9-13-year-old girls. Eating disturbances were significantly higher among 11-year-olds in 1999 than in 1995.