title: Psychosocial and behavioral correlates of dieting among overweight and non-overweight adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine correlates of dieting behavior in overweight and non-overweight youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data came from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), a study of eating and weight-related attitudes, behaviors, and psychosocial variables among 4746 adolescents in public schools. Logistic regression was used to compare dieters and non-dieters, and to examine interactions of dieting and overweight status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately one third (31.8%) of the sample was overweight. Dieting in the previous year was reported by 55.2% of girls and 25.9% of boys. Dieting was associated with similarly elevated rates of extreme weight control behaviors, body dissatisfaction, and depression in both the non-overweight and overweight groups for both boys and girls. Girls reporting dieting behavior in both the non-overweight and overweight groups had similarly elevated risk for cigarette use, alcohol use, and marijuana use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The negative correlates of dieting are similarly common among teens of varying weight status. These data suggest that dieting may not be a preferred method of weight management, even for overweight adolescents. Regardless of weight status, dieting may be a marker for other unhealthy behaviors and depressed mood in adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. crowx002@umn.edu
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crow
authors.forename: Marla E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Story
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neumark-Sztainer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001828:Body Image; D003863:Depression; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D050177:Overweight; D012649:Self Concept; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders