Use of Prescription Weight Loss Pills Among US Adults

[Kuester, Sarah]

Please pardon the cross-posting.

>  

> Hello. Below is a summary of a recent research 

> article by CDC, "Use of  Prescription Weight Loss 

> Pills among U.S. Adults in 1996-1998," published 

> in the February 20, 2001 issue of the Annals of 

> Internal Medicine, which analyzed data from CDC's 

> Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 

> to determine prescription diet pill use patterns.   The 

> BRFSS is a standardized telephone survey conducted 

> by state health agencies in collaboration with CDC to 

> help determine the health status of Americans.  In 1998, 

> a total of nearly 150,000 individuals from all states 

> completed the BRFSS survey. This is the only population-

> based nationwide study showing the prevalence of prescription 

> diet pill use among U.S. adults. 

> 

> Thank you,

> Sarah Kuester

> Public Health Nutritionist

> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

> sak2 at cdc.gov 

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Among the survey findings include:

> 

> * Nearly 5 million adults in the United States used prescription weight

> loss pills between 1996 and 1998.

> 

> * During the two year time period 2.5 percent of the U.S. adult population

> used prescription diet pills.

> 

> * One-quarter of  prescription diet pill users (or 1.2 million) were not

> overweight, suggesting that the medications were not used in accordance

> with the Food and Drug Administration and National Heart, Lung and Blood

> Institute's guidelines for pharmacotherapy, especially among women, white

> persons, and Hispanic persons.

> 

> * Among females, the highest use of diet pills between 1996 and 1998 was

> found among  Hispanics (5.2 percent), Non-Hispanic Whites (3.9 percent),

> Non-Hispanic Blacks (3.8 percent) and others (2.8 percent).  

> 	

> * Diet pill use was highest among women aged 25-44 (25-34 year-olds 5.9

> percent;  35-44 year-olds 5.8 percent) and men 35-64 years of age (35-44

> year-olds 1.1 percent, 45-54 year-olds 1.1 percent and 55-64 year olds 1.2

> percent).

> 

> * Among males, the highest use of diet pills between 1996 and 1998 was

> found among Hispanics (1.3 percent), Non-Hispanic Whites (0.9 percent),

> Non-Hispanic Blacks (0.6 percent) and other (0.2 percent).