Exploring paternal influences on the dieting behaviors of adolescent girls.

In this article we investigate fathers' influence on the dieting behavior of their adolescent daughters. Fifty father-daughter dyads (N = 100) participated. The girls completed a questionnaire concerning their beliefs and behaviors with respect to dieting, their body satisfaction, and their perception of the advantages of being thinner. Fathers were surveyed in order to ascertain their perceptions of the advantages of slimness for adolescent girls and their beliefs regarding the importance of physical appearance and weight control in females of all ages. Associations were found between fathers attitudes to physical attractiveness in females, their perceptions of the impact of being slimmer for adolescent girls, and their daughters dieting behavior. Fathers who believed strongly in the importance of attractiveness and careful control of food intake by females were significantly more likely to have daughters who induced vomiting to lose weight. Fathers play an influential role in determining the dieting behavior of their adolescent daughters.