RESULTS Non-diet interventions result ed in statistically significant improvements in disordered eating patterns , self-esteem , and depression .
OBJECTIVE To determine the overall effect of non-diet , weight-neutral interventions on factors such as weight , biochemical measures , food and activity behavior , body image , and mental health .
Relation between dieting and weight change among preadolescents and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE To assess whether dieting to control weight was associated with  weight change among children and adolescents . METHODS A prospect i ve study was conducted of 8203 girls and 6769 boys who were 9 to 14 years of age in 1996 , were in an ongoing cohort study , and completed at least 2 annual question naires between 1996 and 1999 .  Dieting to control weight , binge eating , and dietary intake  were assessed annually from 1996 through 1998 with instruments design ed specifically for children and adolescents . The outcome measure was age- and sex-specific z score of body mass index ( BMI ) . RESULTS In 1996 , 25.0 % of the girls and 13.8 % of the boys were infrequent dieters and 4.5 % of the girls and 2.2 % of the boys were frequent dieters . Among the girls , the percentage of dieters increased over the following 2 years . Binge eating was more common among the girls , but in both sexes , it was associated with dieting to control weight ( girls : infrequent dieters , odds ratio [ OR ] : 5.10 ; frequent dieters , OR : 12.4 ; boys : infrequent dieters , OR : 3.49 ; frequent dieters , OR : 7.30 ) . During 3 years of follow-up , dieters gained more weight than nondieters . Among the girls , frequency of dieting was positively associated with increases in age- and sex-specific z scores of BMI ( beta = 0.05 and beta = 0.04 for frequent and infrequent dieters vs nondieters ) . Among the boys , both frequent and infrequent dieters gained 0.07 z scores of BMI more than nondieters . In addition , boys who engaged in binge eating gained significantly more weight than nondieters . CONCLUSIONS Although medically supervised weight control may be beneficial for overweight youths , our data suggest that for many adolescents , dieting to control weight is not only ineffective , it may actually promote weight gain
RESULTS Non-diet interventions result ed in statistically significant improvements in disordered eating patterns , self-esteem , and depression .
OBJECTIVE To determine the overall effect of non-diet , weight-neutral interventions on factors such as weight , biochemical measures , food and activity behavior , body image , and mental health .