PREVALENCE OF SELF-INDUCED VOMITING AND LAXATIVE MEDICATION ABUSE AMONG FEMALE ADOLESCENTS - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

In order to assess the prevalence and stability of weight reduction te chniques utilized by adolescent females, three comprehensive samples o f middle school and high school students (ages 12-18) were surveyed in the springs of 1984, 1989, and 1992. All participants were enrolled i n the same school district to ensure that the groups were demographica lly equivalent. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in the use of appetite suppressants among high school students. However, mid dle school females reported a significant increase in medication use a nd self-induced vomiting during the same 7-year period. Laxative abuse has persisted unchanged for a small segment of both populations. (C) 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.