Desire for thinness among high school cheerleaders: relationship to disordered eating and weight control behaviors.

The eating disorders of anorexia nervosa and bulimia are increasing in frequency among adolescent females. These increases have been linked to the cultural ideal in American society of thinness. Attempting to control weight is one behavioral manifestation of the desire for thinness. One particular group of adolescents, female cheerleaders, often experience pressure to attain and maintain weight that is lower than other adolescents of the same height. This study examined cheerleaders' desire for thinness in relationship to disordered eating and weight control behaviors. A Desire for Thinness Scale and selected scales from three eating disorders instruments were administered to 751 high school cheerleaders from the Midwest. Cheerleaders who scored in the upper third on the Desire for Thinness Scale were compared with those who scored in the lower third. Cheerleaders who expressed a strong desire for thinness had significantly higher scores (p less than .0001) on 7 of 8 eating disorders scales. The greater the desire for thinness, the more likely the tendency to report disordered eating and weight control behaviors associated with bulimia. Implications from this study include an awareness of how a cultural ideal of thinness may indirectly increase disordered eating and weight control behaviors by making weight loss a salient goal. A proactive approach to modifying negative aspects of the cultural emphasis on thinness is proposed.