Latent structure of dieting among female high-school students in Japan

The purpose of the present study was (1) to clarify whether individuals could be classified in terms of dieting using latent class analyses; and (2) to review the resulting classes were related to body dissatisfaction, body mass index, depressive mood, and binge eating. The present sample comprises 441 Japanese high-school girls. The optimal solution consisted of three latent classes: (1) unhealthy dieter (27%); (2) healthy dieter (39%); and (3) nondieter (34%). Inclusion in the unhealthy dieter class was predicted by body dissatisfaction and the girls in this class showed a high frequency of binge eating, while that in the other classes was not associated with any variable. This study identifies three classes with regard to dieting among female high-school students in Japan.