Extreme Weight Change Behaviours: Are Overweight and Normal Weight Adolescents Different, and Does This Vary over Time?

This study examined the nature of extreme weight loss behaviours among overweight and normal weight adolescents. Body mass index (BMI), body dissatisfaction, body importance, pubertal timing, negative affect, bulimic symptoms, food supplements and exercise dependence were evaluated at Time 1 and 16 months later at Time 2 among 788 adolescents. There were a large number of differences in the strategies adopted by overweight adolescents, and these remained relatively stable over time. In addition, girls engaged in more bulimic symptoms than boys; particularly overweight girls. Negative affect was also a major predictor of health risk behaviours for overweight adolescent boys and girls. Implications of these findings for the treatment of extreme weight loss behaviours among overweight adolescents are discussed.