News Summary

• Project EAT researchers find that early use of dieting and disordered eating may set the stage for continued unhealthy behaviors later in life.
• These behaviors include unhealthy weight control practices, more extreme weight control practices, and binge eating.
• The findings make the case for early and ongoing prevention efforts, early identification of at-risk adolescents, and more effective treatment of disordered eating behaviors in young people.

Quotes

“Health care providers should be asking patients about unhealthy eating behaviors prior to adolescence, throughout adolescence, and into young adulthood. Given the growing concern about obesity, it is important to let young people know that dieting and disordered eating behaviors can be counterproductive to weight management," said Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., School of Public Health professor and head of Project EAT.

“Given that dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviors, and binge eating increase risk for both eating disorders and obesity, it is important for parents and others involved with young people to discourage the use of these behaviors,” Neumark-Sztainer said. “Parents should look for warning signs such as excessive preoccupation with weight, skipping meals and changes in mood.”

Full Text

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (June 24, 2011) – Adolescents who diet or develop disordered eating behaviors often carry these unhealthy practices into young adulthood and beyond, according to new University of Minnesota School of Public Health research.

The study stems from data collected during Project Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults (Project EAT), a 10-year longitudinal study aimed at examining eating, activity, and weight-related variables among young people. In all, the study examined records for 1,030 young men and 1,257 young women.

When the study began, participants were between 12 to 16 years old. Now, 10 years later, participants are in their 20s and it appears many of the behaviors they exhibited in their adolescence followed them into adulthood. These behaviors include unhealthy weight control practices, more extreme weight control practices, and binge eating.

The study, led by Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., School of Public Health professor and head of Project EAT, is published in the July 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The findings make the case for early and ongoing prevention efforts, early identification of at-risk adolescents, and more effective treatment of disordered eating behaviors in young people, Neumark-Sztainer said.

“Health care providers should be asking patients about unhealthy eating behaviors prior to adolescence, throughout adolescence, and into young adulthood,” she said. “Given the growing concern about obesity, it is important to let young people know that dieting and disordered eating behaviors can be counterproductive to weight management.”

Breaking down the numbers

About half of the females surveyed reported dieting in the past year, compared to about a fourth of the males. The prevalence of dieting remained fairly constant from adolescence through young adulthood for females.

Among males, the prevalence of dieting stayed constant over time, but significantly increased as they progressed from middle adolescence to middle young adulthood (from 21.9 percent to 27.9 percent). For the older males, extreme weight control behaviors, including the use of diet pills, laxatives, and self-induced vomiting increased from 2.1 percent in middle adolescence to 7.3 percent in middle young adulthood. About one-third of males reported unhealthy weight control behaviors, such as skipping meals to lose weight, and the prevalence remained fairly constant over the study period.

Among females, unhealthy weight control behaviors remained constant from early adolescence to early young adulthood. Unhealthy weight control behaviors decreased from middle adolescence to middle young adulthood, but still remained very high (from 60.7 percent to 54.4 percent).

For extreme weight control behaviors, significant increases from adolescence to young adulthood were found in females for both age cohorts and for the older cohort of males. Among females, the use of extreme weight control behaviors increased from 8.4 percent to 20.4 percent between early adolescence and early young adulthood and from 12.6 percent to 20.6 percent between middle adolescence and middle young adulthood.

“Given that dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviors, and binge eating increase risk for both eating disorders and obesity, it is important for parents and others involved with young people to discourage the use of these behaviors,” Neumark-Sztainer said. “Parents should look for warning signs such as excessive preoccupation with weight, skipping meals and changes in mood.”

Other U of M contributors include Melanie Wall, Ph.D.; Nicole Larson, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D.; Marla Eisenberg, Sc.D., M.P.H.; and Katie Loth, M.P.H., R.D.