Results indicated that perceived overweight was associated with an increased likelihood of attempting weight loss and with healthy and unhealthy weight control strategies in some participant groups .
However , perceived overweight was not reliably associated with physical activity or healthy eating and was associated with greater disordered eating in some groups .
Rather than being associated with improved weight management , there was consistent evidence that perceived overweight was predictive of increased weight gain over time .
Individuals who perceive their weight status as overweight are more likely to report attempting weight loss but over time gain more weight
It is commonly assumed that a person identifying that they are ' overweight ' is an important prerequisite to successful weight management .
However , there has been no systematic evaluation of evidence supporting this proposition .
The aim of the present research was to systematic ally review evidence on the relationship between perceived overweight and ( i ) weight loss attempts , ( ii )  weight control strategies ( healthy and unhealthy )  , ( iii ) weight-related behaviours ( physical activity and eating habits ) , ( iv ) disordered eating and ( v ) weight change .
Factors associated with abnormal eating attitudes among Greek adolescents.
OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes among Greek adolescents and identify possible risk factors associated with these attitudes . DESIGN Cross-sectional , school-based study . SETTING Six r and omly selected schools in Patras , southern Greece . PARTICIPANTS The study population consisted of 540 Greek students aged 13 - 18 years , and the response rate was 97 % . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The dependent variable was scores on the Eating Attitudes Test-26  , with scores > or = 20 indicating abnormal eating attitudes . ANALYSIS Bivariate analysis included independent Student t test , chi-square test , and Fisher 's exact test . Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied for the identification of the predictive factors , which were associated independently with abnormal eating attitudes . A 2-sided P value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant . RESULTS The prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes was 16.7 % . Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that females , urban residents , and those with a body mass index outside normal range , a perception of being overweight , body dissatisfaction , and a family member on a diet were independently related to abnormal eating attitudes . CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATION S The results indicate that a proportion of Greek adolescents report abnormal eating attitudes and suggest that multiple factors contribute to the development of these attitudes . These findings are useful for further research into this topic and would be valuable in design ing preventive interventions
Results indicated that perceived overweight was associated with an increased likelihood of attempting weight loss and with healthy and unhealthy weight control strategies in some participant groups .
However , perceived overweight was not reliably associated with physical activity or healthy eating and was associated with greater disordered eating in some groups .
Rather than being associated with improved weight management , there was consistent evidence that perceived overweight was predictive of increased weight gain over time .
Individuals who perceive their weight status as overweight are more likely to report attempting weight loss but over time gain more weight
It is commonly assumed that a person identifying that they are ' overweight ' is an important prerequisite to successful weight management .
However , there has been no systematic evaluation of evidence supporting this proposition .
The aim of the present research was to systematic ally review evidence on the relationship between perceived overweight and ( i ) weight loss attempts , ( ii )  weight control strategies ( healthy and unhealthy )  , ( iii ) weight-related behaviours ( physical activity and eating habits ) , ( iv ) disordered eating and ( v ) weight change .