European Eating Disorders Review Eur. Eat. Disorders Rev. 10, 120±137 2002) DOI: 10.1002/erv.431 Paper Internalization of Western Standards of Appearance, Body Dissatisfaction and Dieting in Urban Educated Ukrainian Females Oleg O. Bilukha and Virginia Utermohlen* Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, USA Toexaminebodyimage,internalizationofthe`thinideal',anddietingpractices in a female population in Ukraine, a country of the former Soviet Union, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 616 females aged 18±60 years in Lviv, Ukraine. A quarter of underweight BMI < 20) and three-®fths of normal- weightBMI20±25)subjectsdesiredathinner®gure;31percent38percentof those aged 25 years and under) reported dieting in the previous 6 months. Internalization of the Western `thin ideal' was correlated with exposure to Western media. Younger women, overweight women, and those who desired a thinner ®gure as depicted in Western media were at higher risk of dieting. `Dieters' differed from `non-dieters' mainly with respect to consumption and perceptions of fats and certain starches white bread, pasta, potatoes). This studyprovidesaninsightintopredictorsoffoodchoice,andhasimplicationsfor developing nutrition policy in Ukraine, and other neighbouring post- communist countries. Copyright # 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Keywords: body image; dieting; food choice; Ukraine European Eating Disorders Review Copyright # 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. 102), 120±137 2002) *Correspondence to: Dr Virginia Utermohlen, Division of Nutritional Sciences, 311 Savage Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA. E-mail: vu10@cornell.edu Contract/grant sponsor: Institute for European Studies, Cornell University, USA. Contract/grantsponsor:MarioEinaudiCenterforInternationalStudies,CornellUniversity,USA. Contract/grant sponsor: Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, USA. Published online 21 December 2001