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Disordered weight-control behaviors include self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives or diet pills to control weight. To determine risk for disordered weight-control behaviors in youth by ethnicity, investigators analyzed data from almost 17,000 students at 47 Massachusetts public middle schools that took part in an intervention to promote healthy behaviors and reduce obesity. Almost 77% of students were white, with slightly more boys than girls.
Compared with same-sex white students, black, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan native, and Latino boys and girls were significantly more likely to report disordered weight-control behaviors during the past month (odds ratios, 1.8–9.4 for girls and 2.2–6.4 for boys). Those who perc…