Weight control behaviors among adult men and women: Cause for concern?

Objectives: To examine gender differences in weight control behaviors; thei r duration and the consistency of their use over a 3-year period; and varia tions of these behaviors by body mass index (BMI). Research Methods and Procedures: The study population included 714 women an d 229 men participating in a community-based weight gain prevention program who completed surveys about their weight control behaviors annually for 3 years. General dieting behaviors (e.g., current, regular, and past dieting) , dietary restraint (using Restrained Eating subscale of the Three-Factor E ating Questionnaire), and specific weight control practices (e.g., increasi ng exercise, skipping meals, and taking laxatives) were assessed. Results: Women were more likely than men to report weight control behaviors , with particularly strong associations found between gender and "history o f dieting" (odds ratio=8.1) and "participation in an organized weight loss program" (odds ratio = 11.7). Among both genders, exercise was the most fre quently reported specific weight loss practice (66% of women and 53% of men ), followed by decreasing fat intake (62% of women and 48% of men). The use of at least one unhealthy weight control behavior over the past year was r eported by 22% of the women and 17% of the men. Gender differences were not found for duration of use of most of the specific weight control practices over the past year, or for consistency of general dieting behaviors and di etary restraint over time. Although both gender and BMI were strongly assoc iated with dieting behaviors, interactions between gender and BMI on preval ence rates of dieting were not significant. Discussion: Although weight control behaviors were more prevalent among wom en than men, in general, large gender differences were not found in the typ es of behaviors used and the duration and consistency of their use. The hig h percentages of adults using healthy methods of weight control was encoura ging. However, there is still cause for concern, in that unhealthy weight c ontrol practices were also reported by a significant percentage of the popu lation.