If a girl begins a weight-reduction diet, she is also likely to begin smoking, according to a study at the University of Florida.
Professor Mildred Maldonado-Molina and her colleagues studied 7,795 children in grades seven through nine. Girls who consistently dieted or who were beginning to diet were more likely to start smoking. The effect did not hold true for boys.
Some researchers theorize that food deprivation makes people more likely to use drugs.
About 23% of high school students and 8% of middle school students smoke.
This study appears in the American Journal of Health Prevention.