The relationship of dieting to weight in adolescents

Using a sample of 1,269 high school students, black and white, male and female, this study compared the actual and preferred weights of dieters and nondieters and examined the relationship of increasing weight to preferred weight and the decision to diet. Seventy-two percent of the enrolled students in ten schools of a large metropolitan area participated in the study by completing a self-administered questionnaire designed for the research. The mean age was 17.5 +/- 0.6 years. To be identified as a dieter a student had to report having lost five or more pounds through dieting. Nearly half of the black and white males, two thirds of the black females, and three quarters of the white females met this criterion. Although mean heights of dieters and nondieters did not differ significantly in each race-sex group, dieters weighed at least 14 pounds more than nondieters. While dieters set higher preferred weights for themselves as their own weight increased, white male and female dieters preferred to weigh about 11 pounds less than black male and female dieters, respectively. The majority of dieters were not overweight; some were even underweight. This study documents the need for effective nutrition and exercise programs in the schools to help students accept and achieve reasonable weights.