A self-report instrument measuring readiness to change disordered eating behaviors: the Eating Disorders Stage of Change.

Objective: To evaluate the utility of the Eating Disorders Stage of Change (EDSOC), a behavior-specific readiness questionnaire.

Method: Patients (N=145) at a multidisciplinary eating disorder treatment facility in the United States completed the EDSOC and other questionnaires.

Results: One-week test-retest reliability was strong across eating disorder diagnoses and age groups.

Childhood beauty pageant contestants: associations with adult disordered eating and mental health.

This study evaluated the association between childhood beauty pageants and adult disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, depression, and self-esteem. Eleven women who participated in childhood beauty pageants were matched on age and BMI with 11 non-participating women. Childhood pageant participants scored higher on body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation than non-participants, and showed a trend toward greater ineffectiveness.

The associations between childhood dance participation and adult disordered eating and related psychopathology.

Objective: To examine the relationship between childhood dance participation and adult eating behavior and psychological health.

Methods: A total of 546 undergraduate females at a large Midwestern university completed questionnaires regarding eating behavior and associated features, depression, self-esteem, and body image.

Results: Women who participated in childhood dance are more likely to score higher on measures of bulimic behaviors than nondancers.