85: Unhealthy dieting practices are associated with weight dissatisfaction in adolescent and young adult female military recruits

Abstract

Unhealthy dieting and disordered eating practices among adolescents and young women serving active duty in the military have been blamed, in part, on the pressure to meet strict military body composition standards (McNulty 2001; Haddock et al. 1999; Lauder et al. 1999). The Marine Corps has the strictest standards for military women: at the time of this study, female Marines were required to maintain a body mass index (BMI)< 23.5 kg/m2 or a circumference-based body fat of <26%. We surveyed factors related to weight dissatisfaction in adolescent and young women within 2 weeks of recruitment into the Marine Corps to determine the characteristics that may predispose the development of eating disorders. To examine demographic, anthropometric and behavioral factors associated with weight dissatisfaction among adolescent and young adult women entering recruit training for the U.S. Marine Corps. A total of 2157 (94%) recruits completed a self-report questionnaire as part of a baseline of a longitudinal study. The sample was young (19.1±2.0 yrs, 75.5% were 17-19 years old) and ethnically/racially diverse. The primary variable of interest was weight dissatisfaction, indicated by disagreeing strongly or somewhat in response to the question: “I am happy with my current weight.” The questionnaire also assessed factors related to weight dissatisfaction, including BMI and dieting practices. Outside of a very narrow range of BMI, women reported significantly higher rates of weight dissatisfaction. Women with BMIs 18.5-21.9 kg/m2 reported the lowest rates of weight dissatisfaction (19.4% were dissatisfied). By comparison, those with higher BMIs were more weight dissatisfied (66.0% of those with BMIs 23.0-23.9 kg/m2, 76.0% with BMIs> 24 kg/m2); as were those with lower BMIs (38.3% with BMIs below 18.5 kg/m2). This suggests a very narrowly defined “ideal” body type for women joining the Marine Corps. The majority of new recruits (77.3%) reported engaging in at least one unhealthy dieting behavior prior to enlisting (vomiting, pills and/or laxatives for weight control). Furthermore, these unhealthy behaviors were significantly associated with weight dissatisfaction (OR 3.81, CI 2.64-5.48). This study indicates a strong relationship between weight dissatisfaction, current BMI and a history of dieting behaviors in new Marine Corps women recruits. Our findings indicate that many of these recruits bring a significant history of unhealthy dieting practices and a high degree of weight dissatisfaction to the military that may predispose them to the development of eating disorders once exposed to strict weight or body composition standards. The elucidation of these predisposing factors in women who have just enlisted in the military contributes to our understanding of the development eating disorders among enlisted women; however, the cross-sectional nature of this analysis does not allow us to examine the impact of weight standards on the trajectory of risk.