Alcohol-related consequences among women who want to lose weight

Previous research has identified a positive relationship between disordered eating behaviors and heavy alcohol use, demonstrating that alcohol use is heavier among individuals with eating disorders or who demonstrate significant symptoms of disordered eating. The purpose of this study was to examine whether this relationship also exists among women displaying milder disordered eating attitudes, defined by a stated desire to lose weight despite maintaining a healthy body weight. Participants in this study were 255 female college students at a large public university in the northeast region of the United States who were either under- or of normal body weight. Results indicated that women who reported a desire to lose weight were significantly more likely to experience several negative alcohol-related consequences, including doing something later regretted and having forced intercourse than those without a desire to lose weight. Results also indicated that the use of protective behavioral strategies was associated with fewer alcohol-related problems among this group. Implications for interventions and future research studies are discussed.