Dieting girl more likely to smoke

Teenage girls who diet to lose weight are more likely to start smoking than those who do not diet, according to a study in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study of 11- to 14-year-old boys and girls in Boston public schools found that girls who reported dieting up to once per week were twice as likely to start smoking. Girls who dieted more than once per week were four times more likely than non-dieters to become smokers. Boys showed no connection between dieting and smoking. One suggested explanation is that young girls who diet have weight concerns and may start smoking as an additional weight control strategy. Another suggestion is that dieting itself may be a psychological or physiological stress and girls might turn to cigarettes to cope with the added stress. What was made clear by the study, however, was that body image, feelings about food and the tendency to smoke are inter-linked in young girls.