Article Diet Pills, Powders, and Liquids: Predictors of Use by Healthy Weight Females

About 35 % of healthy weight adolescent females describe themselves as overweight, and 66 % report planning to lose weight. Body weight dissatisfaction is associated with unhealthy weight loss practices including diet pill/powder/liquid (PPL) use. Few studies have examined diet PPL use in healthy weight adolescent females; therefore, Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (n 247) were analyzed to identify predictors of use. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Complex Samples software. Social cognitive theory served as the framework guiding the analysis. Approximately 8 % of healthy weight females reported using diet PPL for weight loss. Describing self as over-weight, planning to lose weight, being offered drugs at school, fasting to lose weight, cigarette/alcohol use, vomiting, and laxative use were significantly associated (p <.05) with diet PPL use. Health professionals, including school nurses, must assess for unhealthy weight loss practices in healthy weight females, in order to adequately address related issues