AGING AND THE PURSUIT OF SLIMNESS - DIETARY RESTRAINT AND WEIGHT SATISFACTION IN ELDERLY WOMEN

Dieting and body dissatisfaction are highly prevalent amongst young wo men. In this study, dietary restraint, disinhibited eating, eating att itudes and body satisfaction were compared in elderly (ES) and young ( YS) normal weight women. Dietary restraint and eating attitudes were s imilar across age groups. Differences between current body weight and desired body weight were equivalent for both age groups (ES, M = 10.8, SEM = 1.8 lb; YS, M = 11.3, SEM = 1.2 lb), although young women (Body Shape Questionnaire, BSQ, M = 78.5, SEM = 5.8) reported significantly greater dissatisfaction with their bodies than the elderly (BSQ, M = 61.7, SEM = 2.9). Of the elderly who had dieted, the majority had diet ed five times or less, had started dieting between the ages of 40 and 50 years, and very few had dieted in their teens or twenties (< 8 per cent). Despite normal weight status, desire to lose weight and attempt s to achieve this are experienced by young and old alike.