Eating attitudes and body image in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescent girls in the city of São Paulo, Brazil / Atitudes alimentares e imagem corporal em meninas adolescentes de ascendência nipônica e caucasiana em São Paulo (SP)

OBJETIVO: Há muita controvérsia nos estudos que analisam a relação entre etnia e transtornos alimentares a despeito do rápido aumento desses distúrbios em diversos grupos étnicos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar as atitudes alimentares em adolescentes de ascendência nipônica e caucasiana no Brasil. A influência do índice de massa corporal (IMC), da menarca e das relações socioafetivas no desenvolvimento dos transtornos alimentares também foi discutida. MÉTODOS: Questionários sobre atitudes alimentares e influências socioafetivas foram aplicados a 544 adolescentes de origem nipo-brasileira e caucasiana: adolescentes pré-menarca de 10 e 11 anos nipo-brasileiras (n = 122) e caucasianas (n = 176) e adolescentes pós-menarca de 16 e 17 anos nipo-brasileiras (n = 71) e caucasianas (n = 175). RESULTADOS: Adolescentes caucasianas apresentaram maiores escores no Teste de Atitudes Alimentares (EAT-26), mostraram maior insatisfação com suas imagens corporais, faziam mais dieta e tinham mais modelos de dietas representados pelas mães e pares do que as adolescentes nipo-brasileiras. CONCLUSÃO: As adolescentes caucasianas, de um modo geral, parecem sentir mais as pressões culturais e estéticas sobre a imagem corporal do que as nipônicas. A frequência alta de meninas caucasianas pré-menarca com escore acima de 20 no EAT-26 mostra que a preocupação com a imagem corporal vem ocorrendo cada vez mais cedo. A análise de regressão múltipla revelou muitas associações entre a interação das adolescentes com suas mães e o desenvolvimento de atitudes alimentares inadequadas.

OBJECTIVE: Despite investigations into the rapid increase in eating disorders across diverse ethnic groups, conclusions concerning ethnicity and eating disorders are contradictory. The objective of the present study was to investigate eating attitudes in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescents in Brazil. The influence of body mass index (BMI), menarche and social-affective relationships on the development of eating disorders was also assessed. METHODS: Questionnaires evaluating the incidence of eating disorders and the influence of social-affective relationships were applied to 544 Japanese-Brazilian and Caucasian adolescent girls: 10 to 11-year-old Japanese-Brazilian (n = 122) and Caucasian (n = 176) pre-menarcheal adolescents, and 16 to 17-year-old Japanese-Brazilian (n = 71) and Caucasian (n = 175) post-menarcheal adolescents. RESULTS: Caucasian girls obtained higher scores on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), showed greater body image dissatisfaction, dieted more often and had more diet models introduced by their mothers and peers than the Japanese-Brazilian girls. CONCLUSION: The Caucasian adolescents overall appeared to be more sensitive to aesthetic and social pressures regarding body image than the Japanese adolescents. The high incidence of EAT-26 scores above 20 in the Caucasian pre-menarcheal group indicates that individual body image concerns are developing at an earlier age. Multiple logistic regression revealed several associations between mother-teen interactions and the development of abnormal eating attitudes.

Eating attitudes and body image in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescent girls in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: Despite investigations into the rapid increase in eating disorders across diverse ethnic groups, conclusions concerning ethnicity and eating disorders are contradictory. The objective of the present study was to investigate eating attitudes in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescents in Brazil. The influence of body mass index (BMI), menarche and social-affective relationships on the development of eating disorders was also assessed. METHODS: Questionnaires evaluating the incidence of eating disorders and the influence of social-affective relationships were applied to 544 Japanese-Brazilian and Caucasian adolescent girls: 10 to 11-year-old Japanese-Brazilian (n = 122) and Caucasian (n = 176) pre-menarcheal adolescents, and 16 to 17-year-old Japanese-Brazilian (n = 71) and Caucasian (n = 175) post-menarcheal adolescents. RESULTS: Caucasian girls obtained higher scores on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), showed greater body image dissatisfaction, dieted more often and had more diet models introduced by their mothers and peers than the Japanese-Brazilian girls. CONCLUSION The Caucasian adolescents overall appeared to be more sensitive to aesthetic and social pressures regarding body image than the Japanese adolescents. The high incidence of EAT-26 scores above 20 in the Caucasian pre-menarcheal group indicates that individual body image concerns are developing at an earlier age. Multiple logistic regression revealed several associations between mother-teen interactions and the development of abnormal eating attitudes.

Anthropometry and body composition in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescent boys.

BACKGROUND: The effect of environmental conditions on development, including growth, maturation and the fulfillment of genetic potential, can be identified through the study of the variations found among different ethnic groups in the same population. The objectives of the present study were: (i) to compare the various anthropometric and body composition parameters based on ethnicity and maturation stage in 31 Japanese and 99 Caucasian prepubescent boys and 50 Japanese and 98 Caucasian post-pubescent boys; and (ii) to assess body mass index (BMI) and its relationship with other methods of body fat evaluation. METHODS: The percentage of body fat was measured using bioelectrical impedance, near-infrared interactance and Slaughter cutaneous skinfold equations. RESULTS: Weight and height were statistically lower for the Japanese than the Caucasian subjects. There were no differences in body fat between the ethnic groups, but the Japanese subjects had statistically lower levels of fat-free mass. The gain in fat-free mass and the loss in body fat when attaining maturation were greater in the Caucasian subjects. The agreement of BMI with other methods was good in all of the groups but lower for the Japanese than for the Caucasian subjects. CONCLUSION: Height and weight differences between the ethnic groups indicated distinct genetic potential ranges. The body fat mass did not differ between the ethnic groups, but the degree of changes when attaining maturation in the Caucasian subjects was greater. If this difference were to be maintained between the groups then years later there would be a greater accumulation of fat in the Japanese subjects.

[Anthropometric assessment of Kamayurá adolescents in the Upper Xingu, Central Brazil (2000-2001)]. / Avaliação antropométrica de adolescentes Kamayurá, povo indígena do Alto Xingu, Brasil Central (2000-2001).

Despite the proximity between indigenous groups in the Upper Xingu Region and Brazilian national society, studies have shown adequate weight-for-height and low height-for-age in indigenous children. Little is known about the nutritional status of indigenous adolescents. The present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of Kamayurá adolescents. Anthropometric variables were collected from a sample of 65 adolescents (31 males and 34 females). Mean height was lower than both that of the Brazilian National Survey on Health and Nutrition and the reference population of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. There was a high rate of overweight in both males (38.7%) and females (23.5%), and one female adolescent was obese (2.9%). No overweight adolescent presented both the triceps and subscapular skinfolds above the 90th percentile. There were no cases of nutritional deficit among either male or female adolescents. Despite the high prevalence of overweight, the nutritional status of these adolescents is adequate, since the group presents low adiposity.

Avaliação antropométrica de adolescentes Kamayurá, povo indígena do Alto Xingu, Brasil Central (2000-2001) / Anthropometric assessment of Kamayurá adolescents in the Upper Xingu, Central Brazil (2000-2001)

Apesar da proximidade dos grupos indígenas do Alto Xingu com a sociedade, os estudos têm mostrado adequação do peso para estatura e déficit de estatura para idade das crianças desses povos. Em relação aos adolescentes, pouco se conhece sobre suas condições nutricionais. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o estado nutricional de adolescentes Kamayurá, valendo-se de variáveis antropométricas. As medidas de peso, estatura, pregas cutâneas e circunferências corporais foram coletadas de 65 adolescentes, sendo 31 indivíduos masculinos e 34 femininos. As médias de estatura em relação à idade foram menores do que aquelas encontradas na Pesquisa Nacional sobre Saúde e Nutrição e na população de referência do National Center for Health Statistics. Houve taxa elevada de sobrepeso no sexo masculino (38,7 por cento) e no feminino (23,5 por cento); a obesidade foi encontrada em uma adolescente (2,9 por cento). Nenhum adolescente com sobrepeso apresentou ambas as pregas tricipital e subescapular acima do percentil 90. Não houve casos de déficit nutricional em adolescentes de ambos os sexos. Apesar da alta prevalência de sobrepeso, o estado nutricional dos adolescentes em estudo é adequado, dada a baixa adiposidade.

Despite the proximity between indigenous groups in the Upper Xingu Region and Brazilian national society, studies have shown adequate weight-for-height and low height-for-age in indigenous children. Little is known about the nutritional status of indigenous adolescents. The present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of Kamayurá adolescents. Anthropometric variables were collected from a sample of 65 adolescents (31 males and 34 females). Mean height was lower than both that of the Brazilian National Survey on Health and Nutrition and the reference population of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. There was a high rate of overweight in both males (38.7 percent) and females (23.5 percent), and one female adolescent was obese (2.9 percent). No overweight adolescent presented both the triceps and subscapular skinfolds above the 90th percentile. There were no cases of nutritional deficit among either male or female adolescents. Despite the high prevalence of overweight, the nutritional status of these adolescents is adequate, since the group presents low adiposity.