Original article
Dieting and Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors During Adolescence: Associations With 10-Year Changes in Body Mass Index

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.05.010Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors are common among adolescents and questions exist regarding their long-term effect on weight status.

Objective

To examine 10-year longitudinal associations between dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors and changes in body mass index (BMI) from adolescence to young adulthood.

Methods and Procedures

A diverse population-based sample of middle school and high school adolescents participating in Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults) was followed up for 10 years. Participants (N = 1,902) completed surveys in 1998–1999 (Project EAT-I), 2003–2004 (Project EAT-II), and 2008–2009 (Project EAT-III). Dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors at Time 1 and Time 2 were used to predict 10-year changes in BMI at Time 3, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and Time 1 BMI.

Results

Dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors at both Time 1 and Time 2 predicted greater BMI increases at Time 3 in males and females, as compared with no use of these behaviors. For example, females using unhealthy weight control behaviors at both Time 1 and Time 2 increased their BMI by 4.63 units as compared with 2.29 units in females not using these behaviors (p < .001). Associations were found in both overweight and nonoverweight respondents. Specific weight control behaviors at Time 1 that predicted larger BMI increases at Time 3 included skipping meals and reporting eating very little (females and males), use of food substitutes (males), and use of diet pills (females).

Conclusions

Findings clearly indicate that dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors, as reported by adolescents, predict significant weight gain over time.

Section snippets

Study design and population

This study includes data from three waves of Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults), a 10-year longitudinal study examining dietary intake, physical activity, and weight-related variables in young people. In Project EAT-I (1998–1999), middle- and high school students from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota completed surveys and anthropometric measures [24], [25]. Five years later (2003–2004; Project EAT-II), original participants were mailed follow-up

Dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors at Time 1 and Time 2

Dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors were prevalent, particularly in females (Table 1). Among females, 37.8% reported persistent dieting (use at both Time 1 and Time 2) and 43.7% reported persistent use of unhealthy weight control behaviors. In males, 10.3% reported persistent dieting and 18.7% reported persistent use of unhealthy weight control behaviors.

Changes in BMI by dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors

Females and males engaged in dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors at both Time 1 and Time 2 had higher BMI values at the

Discussion

Findings from the current study raise concerns about the high prevalence of dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors in adolescents, particularly females, and the implications of these behaviors for weight gain over time. Persistent use of dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors longitudinally predicted greater increases in BMI from adolescence to young adulthood in both overweight and nonoverweight respondents. The large magnitude of the BMI increases associated with the use of

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by grant number R01HL084064 (D. Neumark-Sztainer, principal investigator) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Hearth, Lung, and Blood Institute or the National Institutes of Health.

References (40)

  • D. Neumark-Sztainer et al.

    Dieting and binge eating among adolescents: What do they really mean?

    J Am Diet Assoc

    (1998)
  • J.K. Larsen et al.

    Dietary restraint: Intention versus behavior to restrict food intake

    Appetite

    (2007)
  • M.A. Ouwens et al.

    Tendency toward overeating and restraint as predictors of food consumption

    Appetite

    (2003)
  • J. Polivy et al.

    Getting a bigger slice of the pieEffects on eating and emotion in restrained and unrestrained eaters

    Appetite

    (2010)
  • A.E. Field et al.

    Weight-control behaviors and subsequent weight change among adolescents and young adult females

    Am J Clin Nutr

    (2010)
  • Healthy people 2010Conference edition in two volumes

    (2000)
  • The Surgeon General's call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity

    (2001)
  • Preventing childhood obesity: Health in the balance

    (2005)
  • A.E. Field et al.

    Family, peer, and media predictors of becoming eating disordered

    Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

    (2008)
  • A.S. Vogt Yuan

    Body perceptions, weight control behavior, and changes in adolescents' psychological well-being over time: A longitudinal examination of gender

    J Youth Adolesc

    (2010)
  • Cited by (302)

    • Eating disorders

      2023, The Youth Athlete: A Practitioner's Guide to Providing Comprehensive Sports Medicine Care
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text