Disorderely eating habits among girls: Study

NEW YORK: Girls who frequently eat meals with their families are less likely to use extreme measures to control their weight, a research has shown, reinforcing the benefits of family meals.

Adolescent girls, who frequently eat meals with their families, appear less likely to use diet pills, laxatives or other extreme measures to control their weight five years later.

As youth shift from adolescence into adulthood, disordered eating behaviors--including binge eating and self-induced vomiting--become more common, according to the report.

Dianne Neumark-Sztainer and a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in their study of adolescents at 31 Minnesota schools found that among teen girls, those who ate five or more meals with their families each week were significantly less likely to report using extreme measures (such as self-induced vomiting and diuretics) to control their weight, regardless of their sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index or family connectedness.

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