Racial/ethnic and weight status disparities in dieting and disordered weight control behaviors among early adolescents

Background: This study examined whether racial/ethnic minority early adolescents with overweight/obesity are at increased risk of disordered weight control behaviors, defined as unhealthy behaviors aiming to control or modify shape and weight, ranging from self-induced vomiting to the use of dietary supplements. Methods: U.S. Middle school children (n = 12.511) provided self-report of gender, race/ethnicity, height, and weight as well as dieting and disordered weight control behaviors. Results: In the entire sample, 25.6% (n= 1514) of girls and 16.6% ( n= 1098) of boys reported dieting within the last month, while 3.5% ( n = 200) of girls and 2.7% ( n = 176) of boys reported DWCB. Within all racial/ethnic groups, participants classified as being overweight/obese ( 34% to 50%) were more likely to report dieting compared to their counterparts without overweight/obesity ( 9.6% to 29.6%). Racial/ethnic minority children with overweight/obesity had an increased risk of dieting and disordered weight control behaviors compared to their counterparts without overweight/obesity, and, for some outcomes, compared to their White peers with overweight/obesity. Conclusions: Racial/ethnicminority early adolescents with overweight/obesity are a particularly vulnerable group for disordered eating. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.