Significance: While increasing fruit and vegetable intakes have been widely recommended, intakes of fruits and vegetables among adolescents remain low. Participation in weight-control behaviors, including harmful practices among adolescents is extensively widespread. Participation in athletics offers benefits however some dietary practices among athletes may impair health status. Identifying adolescents at highest risk for negative dietary behaviors has implications for the targeting of resources towards those in greatest need of programs to address nutritional deficiencies. The purpose of this study was to identify the fruit and vegetable intakes and prevalence of weight-control behaviors among adolescents and to compare the behaviors of athletes to nonathletes. Design: Data (N=16,262) were extracted from the national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a component of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Subjects were asked to select behaviors they practiced during the past 30 days in order to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight: dieting, exercising, vomiting or taking laxatives, and taking diet pills. Four items were related to fruit and vegetable intake: yesterday, how many times did you eat fruit; drink fruit juice; eat green salad; eat cooked vegetables? Subjects who participated in one or more organized sports (either school or community based programs) were categorized as athletes. Results: Of the 8,057 males, 5,173 were athletes; among the 8,195 females, 3,564 were athletes. Athletes of both genders consumed more servings of fruit and vegetables than students who were not athletes. Among females, dieting behaviors were more pronounced among athletes (45%) than nonathletes (40%). Considerably more female athletes (67%) exercised to lose weight than nonathletes (52%). Six percent of female nonathletes and 7% of female athletes reported taking diet pills to lose weight. Seven percent of female nonathletes and 8% of female athletes reported vomiting or taking laxatives. Among males 17% of nonathletes and 18% of athletes reported dieting; 36% of male nonathletes and 43% of male athletes reported exercising; 3% from both groups reported vomiting or taking laxatives; 3% of nonathletes and 2% of athletes took diet pills. Athletes practice negative weight-control behaviors that may be harmful, especially female athletes. Proposed strategies for prevention include widespread education regarding the benefits of a healthy diet and the harmful consequences of dangerous weight-control practices. Educational efforts need to target female athletes and stress the side effects of poor nutritional status including impaired athletic performance, fatigue, anemia, electrolyte abnormalities, and depression. Keyword(s): athletics/sports, disease prevention, student issues