The Effect of Nutrition Counseling on College Women Who are Restrained Eaters: Drive for Thinness, Body Dissatisfaction and Dietary Restraint

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: To examine the effects of nutrition counseling on college women who are restrained eaters.The effect of nutrition counseling on college women who are restrained eaters was examined, using a convenience sample, with a pretest, post-test design. An experimental group (n=20) and control group (n-11) were obtained using the Restraint Scale of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) as a screening tool. Selection criteria included: being female, being between the ages of 18 and 24, and being a restrained eater as determined by a score of 11 or greater on the Restraint Scale of the TFEQ. Instruments used for both pre- and post-testing included the TFEQ, the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, which measures the discrepancy between desired and perceived body size, and the Body Dissatisfaction (BD) and Drive for Thinness (DT) subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory, Second Edition (EDI-2). The intervention for the experimental group was four (one hour) sessions of nutrition counseling by an RD, which included a nutrition assessment and education, and analysis of food records and hunger patterns, with a focus on cognitive-behavioral change. The control group received no counseling. Results were analyzed using a paired t-test, with SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), version 6.1. A significant decrease was found in the experimental group for dietary restraint (p=.0001); discrepancy score (p=.005) and DT (p=.004). There was no significant change in BD (p=355). The control group showed no change.This study demonstrates that nutrition counseling does have a positive effect on eating behavior, drive for thinness, and perceived versus desired body size discrepancy in restrained eaters, but may not have an effect on body dissatisfaction. , Since dietary restraint and body dissatisfaction have been implicated as causal variables in the development of eating disorders, dietitians should focus on developing strategies that decrease dietary restraint and improve body image.