The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the development and prediction of disturbed eating attitudes in 7-20 year old girls. The four studies are part of a seven-year longitudinal project including 1279 girls in several age groups (7, 9, 11, 13, 15 years at inclusion) and their parents.Study I showed that among 11- and 13-year-old girls disturbed eating attitudes increased with increasing age, and that eating attitudes, higher BMI than peers, a less healthy relation to family, and fathers’ eating attitudes, predicted disturbed eating attitudes 2-years later. In study II girls in the ages 9-15 years who wished to be thinner dieted more often, thought that they would be more popular if they were thinner, were skipping meals more often and had a higher BMI compared to the girls without such a wish over five years. Study III demonstrated an increasing trend in the wish to be thinner and dieting attempts between the ages 9-18 years. Among 7-11-year old girls motives for wishing to be thinner were e.g., “feel better about yourself” and “correspond to the societal ideal”. A majority of the girls adopted healthy weight control practices, but also extreme weight control practices were used. In Study IV among 9 and 13-year old girls a wish to be thinner, fathers’ eating attitudes and mothers’ perfectionism contributed most to the prediction of disturbed eating attitudes 7-years later. Protective factors were low BMI, low to medium degree of perfectionism, more healthy eating attitudes and high self-esteem.

In conclusion a wish to be thinner, BMI, eating attitudes, family influences, self-esteem and perfectionism are important factors for development of disturbed eating attitudes in girls. The ‘thin ideal’ internalizes early in girls and it is important to take a critical stand to the thinness ideal in our society, especially in family and school.