Dieting and purging behavior in black and white high school students

Abstract

This study examines the prevalence and intensity of dieting and purging behavior in a sample of 1,269 male and female, black and white high school students from 10 schools in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, which 72% of the sample completed. The study compares black and white boys and black and white girls, respectively, and shows a higher prevalence of dieting and purging behavior than has been reported in other research. Forty-one percent of black boys, 42% of white boys, 61% of black girls, and 77% of white girls dieted. The quarter of dieters who dieted least lost less than 8 lb on their most successful diet and stayed on their diet less than 3 weeks whereas the quarter of dieters who dieted most lost more than 16 lb on their most successful diet and stayed on their diet more than 2 months. The majority of dieters exercised 3 to 6 hours a week. One quarter of the dieting boys and one third of the dieting girls fasted for 24 hours at least once per week. A higher percentage of girls than boys used purging to help them lose weight. Significantly more black girls than white girls used laxatives (18% vs 7%) and diuretics (11% vs 7%) whereas significantly more white girls than black girls used vomiting (16% vs 3%). Black and white boys were similar in dieting and purging behavior. Thus, race appears to be an unimportant factor in boys in studies of this kind; the same is not true for black and white girls.