MIDDLETOWN, Conn., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The prevalence of eating disorders in U.S. male adolescents has significantly increased but black females appear to resist the pressure to be svelte.

   May Chao of Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn., examined data from nationally representative samples of U.S. high school students from 1995 to 2005. The researchers found the prevalence of dieting and diet-product use among female adolescents significantly increased as did all weight control behaviors -- including dieting, diet-product use, purging, exercise and vigorous exercise.

   The study, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, also found black female adolescents are the least likely to practice weight control, while white female adolescents are the most likely.

   Among males, white adolescents are the least likely to practice weight control and Hispanic adolescents are the most likely but the authors suggest that Hispanics may be more motivated to control their weight due to the higher prevalence of overweight among these young men.
 

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