Adolescent Weight-Loss Product Use on the Rise

Weight-loss drugs often make headlines in recent news, but what do health experts need to know regarding their prevalence, and how can they regulate the use of these drugs in adolescents? In a recent meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open, researchers investigated the prevalence of nonprescription weight-loss product use among adolescents, emphasizing the potential health and psychosocial implications.

The study addresses concerns regarding disordered eating and unhealthy weight control behaviors during childhood and adolescence, which are associated with adverse psychosocial problems and potential physical health issues.

The researchers adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines, and the study was registered in the PROSPERO Inter-national Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL, without restrictions on publication year but focusing on studies published from 1985 to 2023. The study aimed to identify observational studies reporting the prevalence of weight-loss product use among those aged 18 or younger.

This study defined weight-loss products as drugs and dietary supplements used for weight control without a prescription. The categories included diuretics, laxatives, and diet pills. The meta-analysis involved 90 studies from 25 countries and 6 continents, with 604,552 participants.

Results revealed an overall prevalence of nonprescription weight-loss product use among adolescents at 5.3%. Diet pills were the most frequently used product, followed by laxatives and diuretics. The prevalence was significantly higher in girls than boys across all time points (past week, past month, past year, and lifetime). The findings indicated that almost 1 in 10 adolescent girls had used a weight-loss product in their lifetime and the past year. Correlates of weight-loss product use included:

• Low self-esteem.
• Parental influence to lose weight.
• Self-body dissatisfaction.
• Peer groups value thinness.
• Media influences promote unrealistic beauty standards.

The study suggests a public health concern due to the associations between weight-loss product use and negative psychosocial factors. It emphasizes the need for interventions to prevent and regulate the use of these products among adolescents, given the associated individual and public health issues. While weight-loss drug and supplement users anticipate effective results, researchers revealed that most are ineffective when it comes to achieving desired weight loss and often to the psychosocial issues described in the research.

Reference

Hall, NA, Hetti Pathirannahalage, DM, Mihalopoulos, C, et al. Global prevalence of adolescent use of nonprescription weight-loss products: A systemic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(1):e2350940. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.50940