Several studies have indicated that the prevalence of negative body image perception and eating disorders has increased among adolescent schoolgirls. According to WHO (2005), eating disorders have been considered the third leading chronic illness among adolescent girls (aged 10-18 years) in the United States and other high-income countries. Moreover, eating disturbances were also observed in developing and Arab countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Given the scarcity of such studies in Jordan, an Arabic developing country, the aim of this work is to investigate the prevalence and the risk factors of eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction in adolescent schoolgirls in Amman, Jordan. Therefore, the information that is provided by this book would assist researchers in developing interventional programs that help in controlling the occurrence of eating disorders and their associated health problems. Further, this book sheds light on eating and body image disturbances among Arabic schoolgirls, hence, making it valuable for postgraduate students and others who are interested in studying the effect of acculturation on the occurrence of these disturbances in Arab populations.

Tamara Y. Mousa, MS in Nutrition: Studied Nutrition at the University of Jordan. Researcher Assistant at the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.