Selected Factors Related to Diet Pill Usage in Late Adolescent Females

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to examine factors related to diet pill usage in late-adolescent females. A total of four-hundred and sixteen dieting females participated in the study. Two-hundred and ten participants reported the use of diet pills while two-hundred and six participants did not. Participants completed a set of six questionnaires capturing personal information including monthly income,  body image dissatisfaction, media influence, peer influence, family influence, and beliefs about diet pill usage. Data obtained were analyzed using Discriminant Function Analysis with a stepwise method. Wilks’ Lambda was examined to identify factors that helped predict diet pill usage in these participants. Findings indicated that five such factors were beliefs about the efficiency of diet pill usage, body image dissatisfaction, media influence, belief about side effects of diet pill usage, and monthly income, respectively. These factors significantly helped classify participants with and without diet pill usage and yielded a total predictive accuracy of 97.40 percents.