Body Image and Your Kids: Your body image plays a role in theirs

Get more body image information for your daughter from girlshealth.gov

Body Image: Loving Yourself Inside and Out Home > Body Image and Your Kids

"On a diet, you can't eat." This is what one five year-old girl had to say in a study on girls' ideas about dieting. This and other research has shown that daughters are more likely to have ideas about dieting when their mothers diet. Children pick up on comments about dieting concepts that may seem harmless, such as limiting high-fat foods or eating less. Yet, as girls enter their teen years, having ideas about dieting can lead to problems. Many things can spark weight concerns for girls and impact their eating habits in potentially unhealthy ways:

• Having mothers concerned about their own weight
• Having mothers who are overly concerned about their daughters' weight and looks
• Natural weight gain and other body changes during puberty
• Peer pressure to look a certain way
• Struggles with self-esteem
• Media images showing the ideal female body as thin

Many teenage girls of average weight think they are overweight and are not satisfied with their bodies. Having extreme weight concerns — and acting on those concerns — can harm girls' social, physical, and emotional growth. Actions such as skipping meals or taking diet pills can lead to poor nutrition and difficulty learning. For some, extreme efforts to lose weight can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. For others, the pressure to be thin can actually lead to binge eating disorder: overeating that is followed by extreme guilt. What's more, girls are more likely to further risk their health by trying to lose weight in unhealthy ways, such as smoking.

While not as common, boys are also at risk of developing unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders. Body image becomes an important issue for teenage boys as they struggle with body changes and pay more attention to media images of the "ideal" muscular male.

What you can do

Your children pay attention to what you say and do — even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes. If you are always complaining about your weight or feel pressure to change your body shape, your children may learn that these are important concerns. If you are attracted to new "miracle" diets, they may learn that restrictive dieting is better than making healthy lifestyle choices. If you tell your daughter that she would be prettier if she lost weight, she will learn that the goals of weight loss are to be attractive and accepted by others.

Parents are role models and should try to follow the healthy eating and physical activity patterns that you would like your children to follow — for your health and theirs. Extreme weight concerns and eating disorders, as well as obesity, are hard to treat. Yet, you can play an important role in preventing these problems for your children.

Additional Information on Body Image and Your Kids:

Publications

1.   Girlshealth.gov: For Parents and Caregivers — We have created the girlshealth.gov site to help adolescent girls (ages 10-16) learn more about some of the unique health issues and social situations they will encounter during the teen years. The Parent/Caregiver section provides resources and links to helpful information for you, to help you prepare to deal with some of the issues your girls will likely face.

   http://www.girlshealth.gov/parents/

2.   Caring for Your Child — This article provides a few suggestions that can help parents provide for their children's physical safety and emotional well-being.

   http://www.mentalhealth.org/publications/allpubs/Ca-0034/default.asp

3.   Girls and Body Image — This fact sheet explains the influence of the media and parents on a girl’s body image and what you can do to positively influence your daughter's body image.

   http://www.family.samhsa.gov/be/gnb_image.aspx

4.   Helping Your Overweight Child — This publication provides information on how to be supportive to help your child lose weight, and become healthier and more active.

   http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/over_child.htm

5. Binge Eating Disorder (Copyright © Nemours Foundation) — This publication explains to parents what binge eating disorder is, what its symptoms are, and what complications can arise because of this disorder.

   http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/binge_eating.html

6. Body Image: How Parents Can Help (Copyright © Boston Women's Health Book Collective) — This Web site lists tips to keep in mind for parents who want to boost their daughters' body image and promote a healthy self-image.

   http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/companion.asp?id=1&compID=5

7. Eating Disorders (Copyright © Nemours Foundation) — This online publication written for parents or caregivers explains the warning signs of eating disorders and what you should do if you suspect your child may have an eating disorder.

   http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/eating_disorders.html

8. For Parents: Your Role in Eating Disorders Prevention (Copyright © A Chance to Heal) — Learn how to prevent eating disorders and foster healthy eating habits in your children on this site.

   http://achancetoheal.org/forparents/prevention.html

9.   Healthy Body Image: Being an Advocate for Your Child or Grandchild (Copyright © Purdue University) — This publication helps parents understand weight-related concerns their kids might have. It also teaches them how to model a healthy body image, provide a healthy environment, and recognize the signs of an eating disorder.

   http://www.ces.purdue.edu/new/CFS-735-W.pdf

10. Healthy Lifestyle Tip Sheets: Families and Body Image (Copyright © NASW) — This article explains how the media and the family can have a big impact on a child’s body image. It lists ways parents can foster a healthy body image.

    http://helpstartshere.org/FamiliesandBodyImage/tabid/967/language/en-US/Default.aspx...

11. NEDA Educator's Toolkit (Copyright © National Eating Disorders Association) — This toolkit for parents and teachers has comprehensive information on body image and eating disorders. It dispels myths about eating disorders and offers advice about how to help students who might have an eating disorder.

    http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/information-resources/educator-toolkit.php...

12.   Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (Copyright © American Psychological Association) — This report explores the consequences of the proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media. The issues covered included cognitive and emotional consequences, consequences for mental and physical health, and the impact on the development of a healthy sexual self-image.

    http://www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualizationrep.pdf

13. Ten Things Parents Can Do to Prevent Eating Disorders (Copyright © NEDA) — This fact sheet lists ten things parents should consider about the effects of over-emphasizing physical beauty and body shape with their children. It also lists helpful tips to help you educate your children about eating disorders and teach them to accept all body shapes and sizes, including their own.

    http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=286&Profile_ID=41171

14. Ten Tips for Raising Kids with a Healthy Body Image (Copyright © Advocates for Youth) — Learn the dos and don’ts of raising kids with a healthy body image in this fact sheet.

    http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=206...

Organizations

1.   National Mental Health Information Center, SAMHSA, HHS
2. Just Think Foundation
3. KidsHealth
4. National Eating Disorders Association

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated September 22, 2009.