In this study, attitudes towards eating among adolescent schoolgirls were compared to those among fashion models and eating disorder patients. The results clearly demonstrate a preoccupation with body weight, even in schoolgirls. A majority of the girls indicated a wish to lose weight, even when their current Body Mass Index (BMI) was between 20 and 25. Eating disorder patients more commonly reported premorbid overweight. Furthermore, fashion models tended to have an eating style that was comparable to that of patients with eating disorders. The finding that the mean current body weight was lower than before suggests that many girls developed a restrained eating style. Vomiting, the use of anorectic drugs and laxatives, eating alone, and counting calories were reported by a substantial proportion of the adolescent girls. Moreover, a substantial proportion of the girls experienced a loss of control over eating. The combination of this eating style and being overweight, can be considered as risk factor for the development of eating disorders.
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