THE INFLUENCE OF BODY WEIGHT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON THE EATING BEHAVIOR OF 12–13-YEAR-OLD GIRLS

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the influence of body weight and indicators of physical activity on the eating behavior of 12–13-year-old girls. Methods included theoretical analysis of special literature on the studied problem, anthropometric measurements (body weight and height, body mass index), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), physical activity assessment methods (Framingham method), and methods of mathematical statistics (descriptive statistics, correlation analysis). Results of the study. The pedagogical study revealed a moderate probability of eating disorders in 12–13-year-old girls with insufficient body weight. The eating habits, lifestyle, and level of physical activity were evaluated based on the information obtained from the surveyed teenage girls (108 girls aged 12 and 30 girls aged 13). A comparison of the eating habits of adolescent girls with normal body weight and underweight girls showed the differences between these two groups. Furthermore, the difference was 17.5 points between 12-year-old girls with different body weights and 20 points between 13-year-old girls of these two groups. The underweight girls aged 12 were found to have the probability of eating disorders of 25.9%. An increase in the probability of eating disorders with age was observed. Eating disorders were observed in 40% of 13-year-old underweight girls. The results of the study demonstrated the presence of a strong direct statistically significant (p < 0.05) influence of body weight and indicators of physical activity on the eating behavior of adolescent girls. The close relationship identified between body weight and indicators of physical activity on the one hand and eating behavior on the other justified the development of physical activity programs for 12–13-year-old girls with a focus on the improvement of the perception of the own body and increasing their involvement in regular physical exercises.