Objectives: To determine the differences between male and female adolescents in the associations of disturbed eating attitudes with the use of smoking, alcohol, and exercise.
Method: Nonclinical adolescents-174 males and 157 females-completed the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) and a measure of engagement in the use of smoking, alcohol, and exercise. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the impact of Gender x Use of the behaviour upon eating and related attitudes.
Results: Gender and use of smoking and alcohol were each related to eating attitudes. However, in the case of exercise, there were strong interactions of the behaviour and gender. Women who exercised regularly had higher levels of restriction, body dissatisfaction, and interoceptive awareness, whereas men did not.
Conclusions: It appears that men and women exercise for different reasons, in relation to their eating and related attitudes. It is possible that men exercise for positive goals (e.g., fitness), whereas women exercise to escape perceived negative consequences (e.g., weight gain). This is not the case for alcohol and tobacco use. These findings are discussed, and further research is proposed.