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Table 1 Data-derived themes related to changing from larger to thinner figure with sample quotes

From: “Stop eating lollies and do lots of sports”: a prospective qualitative study of the development of children’s awareness of dietary restraint and exercise to lose weight

Themes

Sample quotes

Diet/food strategies

 Eat less quantity

“eat a little bit of food”, “don’t eat much”, “eat once a day”, “not eating so much food”

 Don’t eat/stop eating

“don’t eat”, “stop eating food”, “she eats nothing”, “not eat for two days or one”

 Change quality of food

“eat… proper food”, “good things, not sugar”, “carrots”, “veggies”, “stop eating lollies”

 Eat “healthy” food

"eat healthy food/stuff”, “she would eat hundreds of healthy food”, “she has to eat healthy fruit”

 Vague reference to food/eating

“cook food”, “just eat”

Physical activity

 Exercise

“do exercising ‘til he gets back to small”, “running”, “go to the gym”

 Active play

“jumping”, “go to the park and play”

Other physiological strategies

 Drink water

“drink water – lots and lots”

 Vomit or spit

“could vomit”, “get the food out”, “spit out all the food”

 Medical/ scientific interventions

“go to the doctor’s”, “go to the hospital”, “ask a scientist to make him back to normal”

 Go to toilet

“go on the toilet”, “do poohs”

 Have baby/take baby out

“getting the baby out of her tummy”

 Play (non-specific or sedentary)

“play”, “play outside”, “play with blocks”, “play video”

 Other physical mechanisms

“burp”, “blow her breath out”, “go under water”

Negative implications of large size

 Ostracism, withdrawal

“he's too fat, people would laugh at him”, “play with fat people”, “move away from the other girls”, “go in jail”, “she should kill herself and then she’ll grow back again”

 Disobedience

“be naughty – he’s lazy”, “shove people and push them”

 Should lose weight, change back

“[should] change back to the smaller one”, “go back to the body before”

 Negative/distressing implications

“sad and crying”, “I don’t want to change into that one…”, “fall over and smash people, he’s so fat”

Positive implications

 Getting stronger

“now he is very strong”, she’s healthier”

 No need to change /accept body

“stop talking about how she looks”, “can still do everything”

Unrelated explanations

 Magical or imagining

“by magic”, “a fairy would come”, “time machine”, “wish and wish and wish”

 Clothing responses

“put a belt on”, “take her clothes off”, “get different clothes on”

Unsure/no response

“don’t know”

Can't change

“he/she can’t [change back to the thinner figure]”, “it’s impossible”, “no way!”

  1. N = 259