Teen Smokers Have Increased Risk of Eating Disorders

Chalk up one more negative for that “smelly, pukey, nasty, teeth-staining habit.” According to the Harvard School of Public Health, among adolescent girls who diet, a history of ever having tried smoking cigarettes increases their risk of developing an eating disorder.

The study assessed cigarette smoking and diet among 1,560 6th and 7th graders from 10 different Boston schools. The children were enrolled in Planet Health, a prospective, school-based intervention study of diet and exercise. Of the original group, 83% gave complete data. Twenty-four percent of students reported dieting, 15% had tried smoking, and 5.5% admitted including vomiting or using laxatives or diet pills.

Girls who reported dieting in the 30 days before the study began and who had ever tried smoking were nearly 10 times more likely to try extreme dieting, compared to girls who did not diet and who had never tried smoking. For the boys, dieting and ever having tried smoking at baseline did not predict extreme dieting. Steve Gortmaker, PhD, and S. Bryn Austin reported their findings at the Eating Disorders Research Meeting in Albuquerque.