Weight Modification Efforts Reported by Black and White Preadolescent Girls: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study

Abstract

Attempts at gaining weight are much more frequent among black preadolescent girls than their white counterparts. No racial difference was found between black and white girls in their efforts to lose weight or to practice chronic dieting. Because approximately 40% of 9- and 10-year-old girls are already trying to lose weight, pediatricians should capitalize on this concern by providing information on proper weight control techniques. Educational efforts should be directed to both the mother and the child, because weight control efforts of preadolescent girls are stimulated by their mothers' admonitions of being too fat or too thin. The high prevalence of dieting among the thinnest adolescent girls also needs to be addressed by pediatricians.