David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Body image boosters
BY NICOLE ROSENLEAF RITTER, Great Falls Tribune
September 2, 2008
Girls as young as 6 want to be thinner, and even one in four elementary school boys now says he's dissatisfied with his body.
The discontent leads more than a quarter of all kids under 14 to diet to lose weight. But body dissatisfaction and early dieting can result in serious health issues, including eating disorders, depression, anxiety and, perhaps most surprisingly, long-term weight gain.
What's a concerned parent to do? Experts suggest the following strategies:
Shift your focus
Kids receive both overt and subtle messages about what bodies are "appropriate," said Joan Trost, program coordinator for the Eating Disorder Task Force of the Mental Health Association of Great Falls. And those bodies are almost inevitably slender.
"You have to take the focus off the body and put it on health," she said, adding, "Healthy doesn't have to mean thin."
Watch TV
That is, "Limit television viewing and watch with your children," according to a nationally recognized eating disorder researcher, Dr. Linda Smolak of Kenyon College in Ohio. The proliferation of DVDs and cable TV means most kids are exposed to messages about those "ideal" body shapes from a very early age ? even in shows aimed at kids. (Have you watched The Little Mermaid recently?)
Move
Kids who have a physical outlet that they enjoy and that does not emphasize a particular body type ? martial arts or swimming instead of, say, ballet or gymnastics ? may be less likely to suffer from body dissatisfaction.
"You want kids to be out being active and having a good time," Trost said. "It's important that they are having their bodies work for them."
Be critical
Media messages promote body types achieved by very few, and children should be told from an early age that the images they see on TV or in magazines are not always realistic.
"Make sure they understand that not everyone can look that way. In fact, most of the models and actors don't actually look that way!" Smolak said.
And take it one step further: Tell kids early and often that people of different shapes and sizes are both normal and acceptable.
Like yourself
Parents ? especially moms with their daughters ? have a huge impact on how their kids feel about themselves and their bodies. In a society in which the vast majority of women are unhappy with their bodies, it's no wonder kids pick up on it, Trost said.
"Parents have to accept the bodies that they have," she said. "If you want a healthy kid, you have to start liking yourself."
BY NICOLE ROSENLEAF RITTER, Great Falls Tribune
September 2, 2008
Girls as young as 6 want to be thinner, and even one in four elementary school boys now says he's dissatisfied with his body.
The discontent leads more than a quarter of all kids under 14 to diet to lose weight. But body dissatisfaction and early dieting can result in serious health issues, including eating disorders, depression, anxiety and, perhaps most surprisingly, long-term weight gain.
What's a concerned parent to do? Experts suggest the following strategies:
Shift your focus
Kids receive both overt and subtle messages about what bodies are "appropriate," said Joan Trost, program coordinator for the Eating Disorder Task Force of the Mental Health Association of Great Falls. And those bodies are almost inevitably slender.
"You have to take the focus off the body and put it on health," she said, adding, "Healthy doesn't have to mean thin."
Watch TV
That is, "Limit television viewing and watch with your children," according to a nationally recognized eating disorder researcher, Dr. Linda Smolak of Kenyon College in Ohio. The proliferation of DVDs and cable TV means most kids are exposed to messages about those "ideal" body shapes from a very early age ? even in shows aimed at kids. (Have you watched The Little Mermaid recently?)
Move
Kids who have a physical outlet that they enjoy and that does not emphasize a particular body type ? martial arts or swimming instead of, say, ballet or gymnastics ? may be less likely to suffer from body dissatisfaction.
"You want kids to be out being active and having a good time," Trost said. "It's important that they are having their bodies work for them."
Be critical
Media messages promote body types achieved by very few, and children should be told from an early age that the images they see on TV or in magazines are not always realistic.
"Make sure they understand that not everyone can look that way. In fact, most of the models and actors don't actually look that way!" Smolak said.
And take it one step further: Tell kids early and often that people of different shapes and sizes are both normal and acceptable.
Like yourself
Parents ? especially moms with their daughters ? have a huge impact on how their kids feel about themselves and their bodies. In a society in which the vast majority of women are unhappy with their bodies, it's no wonder kids pick up on it, Trost said.
"Parents have to accept the bodies that they have," she said. "If you want a healthy kid, you have to start liking yourself."
