Abstract
Few studies have investigated the strategies adolescents identify to self-regulate eating behavior. Aiming to address this gap in the literature, the current article describes a bottom-up investigation of strategies adolescents identify for the successful self-regulation of eating behavior. Sixty-two adolescents generated statements about self-regulation strategies for eating and rated the utility of each statement. From an initial pool of 357 statements, thirteen overarching self-regulatory strategies were distilled (e.g. preparation; stimulus control). Significant differences were found between the strategies with regard to perceived utility. Findings indicate that, in apparent contradiction to growing obesity rates, adolescents have knowledge of various self-regulatory strategies. Possible explanations for this contradiction are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 67-75 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Adolescence |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2012 |
Keywords
- Self-regulation
- Self-regulatory strategies
- Eating behavior
- Adolescents
- Obesity epidemic