Browsing by Author "Notelovitz, Talia"

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    Abnormal eating attitudes and weight loss behaviours of girls attending a "traditional" Jewish high school in Johannesburg : an examination of teachers' awareness
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-03) Notelovitz, Talia; Visser, J.; Szabo, C. P.; Fredericks, N.; Harvey, J.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Health Sciences. Dept. of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Human Nutrition.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background: Eating disorders are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in adolescent and young adult women. There is some evidence that Eating disorders may be more common in Jewish females than in their non-Jewish counterparts. Individuals with abnormal attitudes as defined by the Eating Attitudes Test (26-Item version) (EAT-26) are at increased risk of developing an eating disorder. School teachers are required to take an active role in the currently favoured ecological approach to the prevention of eating disorders. Objectives: The current study sought to determine the prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes and weight loss behaviours in a Jewish female adolescent sample and to investigate school teachers’ awareness of these factors and their attitudes towards a school programme to address these. Methods: A cross-sectional study of girls in grades 8 to 11 and teachers of both genders was undertaken at a “traditional” Jewish high school in Johannesburg, South Africa. A questionnaire consisting of the EAT-26 and a modified section of the United States Youth Risk Behaviour Survey (YRBS) was completed by pupils. A questionnaire developed by the researcher for the study was completed by teachers. Results: Two hundred and twenty pupils (response rate 84.3%) and 38 teachers (52.1%) participated. Twenty percent of pupils (n=43) had EAT-26 scores greater than or equal to 20 and 30.2% were found to require clinical evaluation for a potential eating disorder Thirty two point seven percent (n=72) of girls considered themselves to be overweight. Sixty four percent (n=139) were trying to lose weight at the time of the study and 19.1% (n=42) had engaged in one or more extreme methods of weight loss (fasting, purging or non-prescribed medication) in the past 12 months. Most teachers (81.6%, n=29) underestimated the proportion of girls requiring clinical evaluation and 71.1% (n=27) underestimated the extent of current weight loss attempts. Almost all (97.3%, n=37) the teachers recognised the need to address disordered eating attitudes and patterns in the school but only 34.2% (n=13) viewed the school as the appropriate place, would be prepared to participate and would give up class time. Conclusions: This is the first study to document the presence of abnormal eating attitudes among Jewish adolescent females in South Africa. The prevalence fell within the upper end of the range of rates reported in studies of adolescent girls in South Africa and abroad. Dieting and attempts at weight loss are common in this population and are also in keeping with the findings from international studies. This is the first study to measure teachers’ awareness of the eating attitudes and weight loss behaviours of girls attending the school at which they teach. The teachers participating in this study were not fully aware of the extent to which eating-related issues affect female pupils. Over and above this, there appears to be a resistance to facilitating and participating in a school programme addressing these issues. A qualitative exploration of this could yield valuable insights.
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    Abnormal eating attitudes and weight-loss behaviour of adolescent girls attending a “traditional” Jewish high school in Johannesburg, South Africa
    (MedPharm Publications, 2014-07) Visser, Janicke; Notelovitz, Talia; Szabo, Christopher P.; Fredericks, Nicolette
    Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes and weight-loss behaviour in female Jewish adolescents. Teachers’ awareness of these factors and their attitudes towards a school programme to address these were also investigated. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Subjects and setting: Female learners in grades 8-11 (n = 220), attending a “traditional” Jewish high school in Johannesburg were included. Teachers (n = 38) at the relevant school were also recruited. Outcome measures: A questionnaire consisting of the 26-item version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and a modified section of the USA Youth Risk Behavior Survey was completed by learners. Teachers completed a questionnaire designed by the researchers. Results: Twenty per cent of the learners (n = 43) achieved EAT-26 scores ≥ 20, suggestive of a possible eating disorder, while 30.2% (n = 65) required clinical evaluation for a potential eating disorder. Thirty-three per cent (n = 72) of the adolescent girls considered themselves to be overweight, while 64% (n = 139) were trying to lose weight at the time of the study. 19.1% (n = 42) had engaged in one or more extreme methods of weight loss in the past 12 months. Most teachers (81.6%, n = 29) underestimated the proportion of adolescent girls requiring clinical evaluation and 71.1% (n = 27) underestimated the extent of current weight-loss attempts. Almost all of the teachers (97.3%, n = 37) recognised the need to address disordered eating attitudes. However, only 34.2% of the teachers (n = 13) viewed the school as the appropriate place in which to do this, and were also prepared to participate in the programme and sacrifice class time. Conclusion: To date, no published South African literature documents the presence of abnormal eating attitudes in Jewish adolescent females in South Africa. The prevalence fell within the upper end of rates reported in studies on adolescent girls in South Africa and abroad. Teachers who participated in this study were not fully aware of the extent to which eating-related issues affected female learners. A qualitative exploration thereof could yield valuable insights.