Abstract
This paper aims to clarify the factors affecting problematic eating behaviors of female junior high and high school students using individual data from a survey conducted by the Benesse Educational Research and Development Center in 2009. The multinomial logit model was employed; its estimation results suggest that a student who fulfills the following conditions is more likely to exhibit problematic eating behaviors such as excessive binge eating and restrictions on eating to lose weight: 1) high frequency of eating dinner alone; 2) high frequency of eating convenience store or supermarket boxed lunches; 3) high frequency of visiting game centers, karaoke, family restaurants, and fast food shops after school; 4) dependence on friends; 5) low frequency of conversation with parents; and 6) complaints regarding general malaise.