Table 5.
Knowledge and views on dieting, balanced nutrition and self-body image by gender
| Variable | n = 303 (%) | Male n = 83 (%) |
Female n = 220 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you know the ‘Food Pyramid’ | |||
| Yes | 292 (96.4) | 78 (94.0) | 214 (97.3) |
| No | 11 (3.6) | 5 (6.0) | 6 (2.7) |
| What is a balanced nutrition | |||
| A diet consisting of mainly meat | 2 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.9) |
| A diet consisting of mainly fruits and vegetables | 8 (2.6) | 2 (2.4) | 6 (2.7) |
| A diet consisting of meat, vegetables and other variety of foods | 291 (96.0) | 80 (96.4) | 211 (95.9) |
| Others | 2 (0.7) | 1 (1.2) | 1 (0.7) |
| Are you concerned about your body size and physical appearance | |||
| Yes | 250 (82.5) | 66 (79.5) | 184 (83.6) |
| No | 53 (17.5) | 17 (20.5) | 36 (16.4) |
| Have you tried dieting before | |||
| Yes | 145 (47.9) | 34 (41.0) | 111 (50.5) |
| No | 158 (52.1) | 49 (59.0) | 109 (49.5) |
| Reasons for dieting | |||
| To be strong and healthy | 105 (34.7) | 36 (43.4) | 69 (31.4) |
| To be slim/thin and confident | 90 (29.7) | 19 (22.9) | 71 (32.3) |
| To look beautiful in clothes | 24 (7.9) | 9 (10.8) | 15 (6.8) |
| To maintain my weight | 84 (27.7) | 19 (22.9) | 65 (29.5) |