The associations of healthful weight-control behaviors with psychological distress and changes in body mass index among young adults

Abstract

The aim of this research is to study young adults who try to lose weight using only healthful weight-control behaviors. Secondary analyses of the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add-Health, N = 3,882) were performed. Females who used only healthful weight-control behaviors had lower self-esteem than females who did not try to lose weight, and less depressive symptoms than females who used unhealthful weight-control behaviors. Data suggested that females who used only healthful weight-control behaviors were at higher risk for gains in body mass index than females who did not try to lose weight. This study adds to the extant literature about weight-control behaviors by highlighting that people who try to lose weight using only healthful weight-control behaviors merit special attention from both scientific and practical points of view.