Eating Attitudes among Japanese and American Elementary Schoolgirls

Abstract

This study examined familial and peer correlates of eating attitudes in American and Japanese preadolescent girls. Using the Japanese translation of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test and the Demographic and Dieting Questionnaire, Japanese girls were compared to American girls. Correlates of eating attitudes shared by American and Japanese girls were self-perception of being overweight, the number of friends on a diet, and the frequency of talking with the mother about food and diet. The Japanese girls were influenced more greatly by familial eating attitudes and practices than were American girls. Implications for future cross-cultural research are discussed.