Teen girls who diet more likely to smoke

Is your child smoking to lose weight?

Starting to diet seems to double the odds a teenage girl will begin smoking, a University of Florida study has found.

UF researchers, who analyzed the dieting and smoking practices of 8,000 adolescents, didn’t find the same link in boys, who were also less likely than girls to diet according to the findings.

“Dieting was a significant predictor of initiation of regular smoking among girls,” says the study’s lead author Mildred Maldonado-Molina, PhD, a UF assistant professor of epidemiology and health policy research. The link may be down to the fact that nicotine is a known appetite suppressant – and girls who consistently dieted were even more likely to smoke.

The number of children smoking in the US has dropped in the last decade. In 1995, around 35% of high school students smoked regularly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – now around 23% of high-school age children reportedly smoke and 8% of middle school students do. The percentage of girls who smoke is slightly higher in both age groups. “There has been a decrease in smoking among adolescents, in part because of all the campaigns and policies against smoking,” Maldonado-Molina says. “Smoking to suppress their appetite may be one reason why some dieting teens still pick up the habit.”

Despite the link, Maldonado-Molina said parents shouldn’t go on red alert if their child starts a diet since some dieting practices, such as eating balanced meals, can be a part of a healthy lifestyle. Her advice is to talk about the risks with your child. Be vigilant, too, for any changes in her behavior that may suggest she has started smoking. Bear in mind too that your child is far more likely to take up the habit if you smoke!

 

Was this article helpful?