Are You Currently on a Diet? What Respondents Mean When They Say “Yes”

Male and female university students were asked the questions “Are you currently on a diet to lose weight?” and “Are you currently on a diet to maintain your weight?” Respondents were asked to clarify positive responses by listing weight-control behaviors in which they were engaged. Responses were coded into 12 categories of dieting methods. Results indicated women and men who diet to lose weight engage in a wider variety of weight-loss behaviors than those engaged in dieting to maintain weight. Findings further indicated differences in dieting methods between individuals dieting to lose weight as opposed to dieting to maintain weight.

Notes

Martz, D. M., & Shaw, D. L. (1994). Exploring the determinants of dieting behavior and the relationship between dieting and exercise in healthy adults. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Behavioral Medicine.