Newspaper articles and media have shown that the use of illegal weight loss compounds, such as Ephedrine and Melanotan, is becoming more common among adolescent girls, who are at risk of becoming a new group of addicts. These girls are rarely aware of the risks that the use of these compounds entails and the consequences that could adversely affect their bodies, mentally and physically. The aim of this paper was to investigate the use of and attitudes towards illegal weight loss compounds amongst girls in year three, at Swedish upper secondary schools. In order to do that, a questionnaire was sent out to 120 girls in five different high schools, with varying college preparatory and vocational program directions. My research shows that the use of illegal weight loss compounds, particularly Ephedrine, was found among girls in year three, at upper secondary schools. Seven percent of the girls claimed they use, primarily, Ephedrine. This result exceeds earlier studies findings on boys' use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS).

Newspaper articles and media have shown that the use of illegal weight loss compounds, such as Ephedrine and Melanotan, is becoming more common among adolescent girls, who are at risk of becoming a new group of addicts. These girls are rarely aware of the risks that the use of these compounds entails and the consequences that could adversely affect their bodies, mentally and physically. The aim of this paper was to investigate the use of and attitudes towards illegal weight loss compounds amongst girls in year three, at Swedish upper secondary schools. In order to do that, a questionnaire was sent out to 120 girls in five different high schools, with varying college preparatory and vocational program directions. My research shows that the use of illegal weight loss compounds, particularly Ephedrine, was found among girls in year three, at upper secondary schools. Seven percent of the girls claimed they use, primarily, Ephedrine. This result exceeds earlier studies findings on boys' use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS).