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Purpose: Theoretical models, such as the transdiagnostic model of eating disorders highlight the role of cognitive factors (e.g., the way people perceive their bodies) and their associations with maladaptive weight management behaviors resulting in underweight. This paper aims at testing the indirect association of adolescent's body satisfaction and body mass index (BMI) through restrictive dieting, healthy eating or unhealthy eating as well as moderating role of adolescent's weight status., Methods: The study was conducted in 16 public middle and high schools in Central and Eastern Poland. A sample of 1042 under- and healthy-weight white adolescents aged 13-20 (BMI: 12.63-24.89) completed two self-reported questionnaires (fruit, vegetable, and energy-dense food intake) with a 11-month interval. Weight and height were measured objectively. Multiple mediation analysis and moderated multiple mediation analysis were conducted to test the study hypotheses., Results: Adolescents less satisfied with their bodies were more likely to diet restrictively and at the same time ate more unhealthy energy-dense food rather than healthy food, which in turn predicted lower BMI. No moderating effects of weight status were found., Conclusions: Low body satisfaction is a risk for restrictive diet and unhealthy food intake. Prevention programs may target under- and healthy-weight adolescents who are highly dissatisfied with their bodies, have a high intake of energy-dense food and apply a restrictive diet at the same time., Level of Evidence: Level III: longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Body satisfaction is one of the key modifiable cognitive determinants of eating behaviours, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI). As the sociocultural models suggest, low body satisfaction may explain unhealthy eating and exercise behaviours. Importantly, body satisfaction levels and body areas that individuals focus on vary across genders. This study aims at investigating links between the global index of body areas satisfaction (BAS), gender-specific BAS, fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, energy-dense foods intake, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and BMI., Methods: In all, 1,254 adolescents completed questionnaires and had their weight and height objectively measured with 2- and 13-month follow-ups. Indirect effects of three indices of BAS were tested in three models (male-specific BAS amongst boys; female-specific BAS amongst girls; the global BAS index in the total sample)., Results: Higher levels of all three BAS indices indirectly predicted lower BMI, with higher MVPA mediating this effect. In addition, higher energy-dense foods intake mediated higher global BAS-higher BMI relationship in the total sample. Thus, the global index of BAS acts as double-edged sword, predicting both higher MVPA and energy-dense foods intake., Conclusion: BAS may operate in a complex manner, predicting behaviours which may have opposite effects on BMI., (© 2018 The Authors. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Association of Applied Psychology.)

Objective: This study tested the reciprocal relationships between automatic thoughts about eating and the actual-ideal weight discrepancies, and their role in the formation and maintenance of eating disorders (ED) symptoms in a non-clinical sample of adolescents. In particular, we investigated whether thoughts about eating mediated the effects of weight discrepancies on ED formation and whether weight discrepancies mediated the effects of thoughts about eating on ED formation were investigated., Method: Data were collected three times, with a 2-month interval between Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), and a 9-month interval between T2 and Time 3 (T3). Adolescents (N = 55) aged 15-18 filled out the SCOFF Questionnaire, assessing eating disorders symptoms, and the Eating Disorder Thoughts Questionnaire, evaluating automatic thoughts. To assess weight discrepancies questions about actual (subjectively reported) and ideal body weight were asked followed by objective measurement of height and weight., Results: Negative thoughts about eating (T2) mediated the relation between weight discrepancies (T1) and symptoms of anorexia and bulimia (T3). In addition, the association between negative thoughts (T1) and eating disorders symptoms (T3) was mediated by weight discrepancies (T2)., Conclusion: The negative thoughts and the actual (both subjectively reported and objectively measured)-ideal weight discrepancies constitute a vicious cycle, related to higher ED symptoms. Prevention of eating disorders should be directed to adolescents who manifest large weight discrepancies or high levels of negative thoughts about eating, as they are at risk for developing eating disorder symptoms.