PROBLEM DIETING BEHAVIORS AMONG YOUNG ADOLESCENTS

Objective: To examine dieting, eating and exercise behaviors, use of d iet pills, and vomiting or use of laxatives to lose weight among young er adolescents. Design: Analysis of data from a modified version of th e Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered to middle school students in North Carolina in 1995. Setting: Fifty-three randomly selected middle schools in North Carolina. Subjects: Two thousand three hundred thirt y-one students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Interventions : None. Main Outcome Measures: Responses to questions regarding weight control practices, including vomiting or laxative use, dieting, exerc ise, or diet pill use. Results: Of the students surveyed, 110 (9.7%) o f the girls and 46 (4.0%) of the boys reported vomiting or using laxat ives to lose weight. Among the girls, vomiting or laxative use was ass ociated with feeling overweight, other weight loss practices, older ag e, being a poor student, smoking, eating more salads or vegetables, an d eating more candy or other sweets (P less than or equal to.01). A lo gistic regression model consisting of diet pill use, dieting to lose w eight, lower academic achievement, and currently trying to lose weight correctly classified 92% of female students who had or had not vomite d or used laxatives. Among boys, vomiting or laxative use was associat ed with feeling overweight, other weight loss practices, minority raci al status, smoking, frequency of eating hamburgers or other high-fat m eats, and frequency of eating french fries or potato chips (P less tha n or equal to.01). A model consisting of diet pill use, minority race, dieting to lose weight, smoking, feeling overweight, and number of se rvings of hamburgers, hot dogs, or barbecue correctly classified 97% o f the boys who had or had not vomited or used laxatives. Conclusion: Y ounger adolescents trying to lose weight engage in a variety of proble m dieting and weight loss behaviors that can compromise health and may be associated with eating disorders.