Sad State of Affairs! - BBC website

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Girls as young as six say they are unhappy with their bodies and want

to be thinner, a study has suggested.

A team from the Flinders University of South Australia interviewed

over 80 girls aged five to eight.

The British Journal of Developmental Psychology study found 47%

wanted to be slimmer, and most thought that would make them more

popular.

The UK Eating Disorder Association said it was known that children as

young as eight had been diagnosed with anorexia.

Because of the girls' age, the researchers asked them about their

awareness, rather than actual experience, of teasing and likeability

on the basis of body shape.

They were also asked what they thought about their peers' level of

body dissatisfaction, and how much body shape was discussed accepted

amongst the girls they knew.

Researchers also questioned the children on how much they knew about

dieting.

Forty-five per cent said they would diet if they gained weight, with

older girls in the group more likely to do so.

Most girls believed being thin would increase likeability, yet very

few claimed to discuss their bodies with their friends.

Five-year old girls displayed little dissatisfaction with their

bodies.

Peer influence 'key'

Researcher Hayley Dohnt, who led the study, said: " Previously,

research has focused on adolescence as the likely time for the

emergence of body dissatisfaction.

" However, clear evidence has accumulated that a substantial number of

pre-adolescent girls are dissatisfied with their bodies and wish to

be thinner. "

She added: " Previous research has also focused on parental influence

as the most salient source of information for young children.

" However, the major life event which occurs over the five - seven

year age range, when body dissatisfaction begins, is the commencement

of schooling.

" Therefore, peer influence, which has been investigated extensively

for adolescents but has been assumed as more or less irrelevant for

young children, may in fact be particularly salient for this age

group " .

A spokesman for the UK's Eating Disorders Association said: " Eating

disorders have been recorded in children as young as eight, and there

may have been instances in children of an even younger age.

" Low self esteem is a major contributory factor of eating disorders:

media images, peer pressure and family situations can also affect

people.

" We believe there are lots of pressures from many areas on young

people to be thin. We are concerned but not surprised that school

children as young as six are affected by them. "

He said the EDA already carries out work in schools aimed at

addressing self esteem and negative body image issues.

But he added: " The fact remains that the key age for developing

eating disorders is 13-15. "