EATING ATTITUDES TEST IN BOYS AND GIRLS AGED 6-18 YEARS - DECREASE INCONCERNS WITH EATING IN BOYS AND THE INCREASE IN GIRLS WITH THEIR AGES

Concerns with eating were studied in 130 Japanese boys and 125 girls a ged 6-18 years using the Simplified Eating Attitudes Test (s-EAT). The s-EAT scores in girls slightly increased with age. The mean scores in girls at age 10 years or older were significantly higher than in boys of the same age, suggesting that pubertal girls have more concerns wi th eating. On the other hand, s-EAT scores in boys that were not overw eight decreased as they grew older, contributing, at least partly, to the sexual difference in eating behavior. The mean scores in overweigh t boys were higher than in boys that were not overweight. The score in boys correlated significantly with weight though there was no signifi cant correlation in girls. These results suggest that, in addition to increased concerns with eating in girls, decreased concerns with age i n boys is one of the causes of the sexual difference in eating behavio r, especially during puberty. Eating behaviors in girls seem to be les s influenced by changes in body weight than in boys.