Effects of dieting tendency on the eating behavior and fatigue in young women

Abstract

  The number of young women who have a tendency toward weight loss despite being underweight or normal with respect to body mass index (BMI) has increased in recent years. The objective of the present study was to elucidate the physical and mental effects of dieting tendency on young women, with a focus on the eating behavior and subjective fatigue symptoms.
  1) The proportions of underweight, normal, and overweight women with respect to BMI were 17.5%, 75.4%, and 7.1%, respectively. However, dieting tendency was observed in 87.9% of all women. In particular, 92.2% of women with a dieting tendency were “underweight” or “normal” with respect to BMI.
  2) Among women with a dieting tendency were “underweight” or “normal” with respect to BMI, 60.3% had an “overweight” body image of themselves, while 60.9% had experienced dieting, indicating significant differences between women with and without a dieting tendency in both cases.
  3) Experience of binge eating was significantly more common in women with a dieting tendency (53.6%) than in those without a dieting tendency (38.0%).
  4) Complaint rates for subjective fatigue symptom group I, comprising “sleepiness” and “unsteady gait”, were significantly higher in women with a dieting tendency than in those without a dieting tendency. Total complaint rate for fatigue was significantly higher in women with a dieting tendency (25.9%) than in those without a dieting tendency (19.7%).