NATIONAL

HEALTH BEHAVIOUR IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN:
WHO COLLABORATIVE CROSS-NATIONAL STUDY (HBSC)
2014 SURVEY IN SCOTLAND NATIONAL REPORT
WEIGHT CONTROL BEHAVIOUR
INTRODUCTION
Dieting and weight control behaviours are typically common among adolescents 1,2 , and are more widespread amongst
girls than boys 1 . Girls generally feel pressure (likely stemming from the media and desire for popularity amongst peers) to
be slim; whereas boys feel pressure to be muscular 3,4 . Hence girls primarily focus on dieting to attain their desired body
shape, whereas exercise is often more important to boys 5,6 .
Many adolescents demonstrate healthy weight control behaviours 7 . However, some adolescents (particularly girls) 1 rely on
unsafe methods 8,1,9 . While attempting to reduce excess weight through healthy eating habits (reducing sugar intake, for
example) may be considered a safe form of dieting, unsafe methods may be associated with unrealistic or distorted body
image. These include skipping meals 10 , using food substitutes, self-induced vomiting, compulsive exercise and diet pills 11,12,13 .
These unsafe methods are damaging to health and are associated with poor physiological well-being, low self-esteem
and depression 14,15,16 . They are also linked to risk of being overweight and binge-eating 17 or purging 18 ; and greater use of
alcohol and tobacco 19 . Some may be counterproductive, leading to weight gain through, for example, increased propensity
for binge eating 12 and this can lead to a spiralling problem for the child concerned. Previous research in Scotland suggests
that overweight young people have higher levels of emotional and mental health issues and report higher frequencies of
unsafe weight control behaviours 20 . However, risky weight control behaviours may also be practiced by non-overweight
schoolchildren and are associated with considerable risk to physical and emotional well-being 21 .
As a result of a Scottish Government initiative, adolescents are encouraged to adopt healthy and safe approaches to
weight control, based around maintaining a healthy diet and appropriate levels of exercise 22 . In January 2015, the Scottish
Government launched the Eat Better Feel Better programme, to encourage and support people to make healthier choices to
the way they shop, cook and eat. 23 As well as promoting healthy approaches to diet 24 and exercise 25 , it is vital that children
are encouraged to have a positive and realistic self-perception of their weight and body shape, since risky behaviours can
often be linked to distortion in these perceptions 2,8 .
HBSC FINDINGS
Comparable measures of weight control behaviour have been included in the Scottish HBSC survey since 2002.
CURRENT WEIGHT CONTROL BEHAVIOUR IN SCOTLAND
Girls aged 11-15 in Scotland are twice as likely as their male peers to be on a diet or doing something else to lose weight
(22% compared with 10% of boys). This behaviour increases steeply with age among girls, but remains constant for boys
(Figure 8.1), so gender differences increase with age. Three times as many girls as boys are trying to lose weight at age 15
(31% of girls compared with 10% of boys). There was little change in the proportions of boys or girls who report being on a
diet between 2002 and 2014 (Figure 8.2).
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