Teens Dieting

The pressure to stay young and thin is enormous

A new study released by the University of Minnesota’s “Project EAT” (Eating Among Teenager) program studied 2,500 teens and their dieting behaviour. The results about diet pills were startling.

When it came to dieting, 62.7% of teenage girls said they use “unhealthy weight control behaviours” and 21.9% admitting they use “very unhealthy weight control behaviours.”

“Unhealthy weight control behaviours” are such things as using diet pills, laxatives, vomiting or skipping meals. Half of the teenage boys studied disclosed their methods.

“We have found that teenage females who diet and use unhealthy weight control behaviours are at three times the risk of being overweight,” said Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, one of the study researchers. “Teens who feel good about their bodies eat better and have less risk of being overweight. Parents can play a key role in helping their children to build a positive body image and engage in healthy eating and physical activity behaviours.”

What was also surprising about the results was the fact that teenage girls’ physical activity levels dropped dramatically to only 3.93 hours a week. Their male counterparts spend 6.11 hours a week.

“It’s not just diet pills. It’s about accepting yourself and liking who you are. At the teen age it’s very hard to do this,” said Paula Triana, Nutrition Services Team Leader for the Palm Beach County School District. “But we educate them in a positive way about accepting who they are.”