A study of 405 Irish children (ages 2-18) with Down syndrome, autism, and cri du chat syndrome, and 280 siblings found most had some level of self-feeding skills. Chewing problems were reported for some children, including siblings of children with Down syndrome and autism. Behavioral problems at meals were common. (Contains references.)…

This study examined the relationships among childhood sexual and physical abuse, body image disturbance, and eating disorder symptomatology in college students, of whom 29 had been sexually abused, 32 physically abused, and 29 nonabused. There was no evidence that child sexual or physical abuse was associated with the development of body image…

Analysis of questionnaire responses from 182 professionals, 393 students, and 39 patients with eating disorders found a significant consensus across groups in the ranked order of perceived characteristic long-term outcomes of child sexual abuse. Respondent sex, social class, or past sexual abuse experience had no significant effect on this…

Surveyed 175 female junior high school students in an effort to ascertain both their present eating behavior and their attitudes regarding dieting and concern about body weight. Many subjects appeared to have considered these matters as early as elementary school. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed. (RJM)

Self-mutilating behavior (SMB), suicide, and eating disorders are examined in adult females (N=42) in relation to childhood sexual abuse. A statistically significant relationship was found between SMB and suicide attempts. Findings support the contention that SMB and sexual abuse are closely related to eating disorders. (Author/EMK)

Examines the eating behaviors of 192 Australian and 129 Swaziland university students using the Eating Attitudes Test. Reports no significant differences between the Australian and Swazi samples in terms of eating disorder symptoms, but indicates that more Australians saw themselves as overweight and were on a weight loss diet. (CMK)

Finds that black adolescent girls were more satisfied with their bodies and had a larger personal ideal size than white adolescent girls, but engaged in no fewer eating-disordered behaviors and had no less drive to be thin; and these girls idealized television images equally and were as likely to compare themselves and their friends to television…

This article describes a variety of treatment options for infants and toddlers with nonorganic failure to thrive. Key elements of successful interventions are discussed and appropriate clinical applications are made. The need for a team approach to address the varied etiologically significant factors related to feeding difficulties is stressed.…

Examined gender differences within race and race differences within gender regarding various body image and disordered eating variables among Caucasian and Asian American college students. Regardless of race, women reported more problem attitudes and behaviors than men. Gender differences were common and similar for both ethnic groups. Race made…

Studied the weight-loss behaviors of 369 Australian tenth-grade girls and possible parental influences related to weight and shape. Parental encouragement to lose weight was a more significant predictor of daughter's dietary restraint than parents' own dietary-restraint levels. (SLD)

Examined relationship between acculturation and eating-disorder symptoms in normative samples of 920 adolescents girls of high school age. Found that acculturation was positively associated with structured-interview defined partial syndrome eating disorders in Hispanic girls, but not in Asian or European-American girls. There was no relation…

Children and adolescents live in a world where thin is "in" and the pressure to conform to society's view of the ideal body, when combined with other life factors, can set the stage for an eating disorder, a psychiatric illness characterized by an extreme desire to be thin and an intense fear of weight gain. Clinical eating disorders and…

The results of several studies have established the validity of the SCOFF questionnaire (a 5-question screening tool for eating disorders), but researchers need to explore further replicability using the US version in the graduate school population. In this study, the authors asked 335 graduate students attending the Northwestern student health…

Researchers studying eating disorders in men often use eating-disorder risk and symptom measures that have been validated only on women. Using a sample of 215 college women and 214 college men, this article reports on the validity the Eating Disorder Inventory2 (EDI-2), one of the best-validated among women and the most widely used risk and…

Although eating disorders in children and adolescents remain a serious cause of morbidity and mortality, the evidence base for effective interventions is surprisingly weak. The adult literature is growing steadily, but this is mainly with regard to psychological therapies for bulimia nervosa and to some extent in the field of pharmacotherapy. This…