Unhealthy weight management practices associated with non-medical use of prescription drugs among adolescents
Non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) is a serious public health concern in the U.S. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps have identified significant associations between the non-medical use of prescription drugs and unhealthy weight management practices. They suggest that health educators in the school setting, as well as other health professionals who provide services to adolescents, should focus on healthy weight management strategies and other substance-specific messages. Their findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. About 17% of U.S. students in grades 9-12 have engaged in NMUPD according to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey published by the CDC. Reasons include pain relief, getting high, improving concentration, and weight loss. This study is the first to investigate the association between NMUP...