Discusses how weight problems affect the self-esteem of young
girls. Girls who were more likely to have a negative self-image; Role of
parents in controlling the food intake of their daughters.
By
Sarah Smith, published on May 01, 2001
DIET
Weight problems can start at a young age--and so can the
self-esteem issues that go hand in hand with being heavy. As early as the
age of five, girls are affected by how others perceive them.
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University talked to 197
five-year-old girls and their families to determine how a girl's weight
and her parents' concern about it affect her self-esteem. The girls who
weighed more were more likely to have a negative self-image, and the
lowest levels of self-esteem showed up in overweight girls whose parents
restricted their daughter's eating. Not only did the girls believe that
they had limited physical ability, they also had lower opinions of their
cognitive skills.
"It was astonishing to us," says Leann Birch, Ph.D., a professor at
Penn State and one of the authors of the study, published in the journal
Pediatrics. "From very early on, appearance is important and it's a part
of self-evaluation."
There's much information in the media about childhood obesity,
Birch explains. "Parents know that it is unhealthy, but just being
concerned and restricting the child's intake appear to have negative
effects." Birch and lead researcher Kirsten Davison, a Ph.D. candidate at
Penn State, suggest parents find ways for their daughters to be more
active and offer foods they should eat, rather than stress the ones they
shouldn't.
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