Young people ‘eating to look good’

CHILDREN are more concerned with eating to look good than for their health, according to a report on the attitudes of 10 to 14-year-olds on diet, nutrition and exercise.

It found young people were motivated to look after themselves because of a fear of being called fat, not being good at sports, or getting spots, than they were for their long-term health or well being.

The report, The Voice of Young People, published yesterday said there was a “strong social stigma” associated with being fat, with overweight children a source of bullying and ridicule among their peers and often unable to make friends.

“Children’s concerns about obesity appear to be more connected to the social consequences of the condition, in particular inability to play with friends, engage in sports, peer rejection and fear of being slagged about being fat, than they do with the health consequences, such as shorter life expectancies, heart attacks et cetera,” said the report.

All children who took part in the survey acknowledged the importance of personal health and the majority expressed both a desire and intention to live a healthy lifestyle.

When asked what healthy meant, the first response focused on appearance with a “healthy person” perceived as being slim and an unhealthy person described as someone who is “fat” or a “couch potato”. Nutritionist Paula Mee said it is important that children who need to lose weight are not isolated: “We probably need to do more research into the social stigma attached to obesity, because that stigma needs to be addressed. We don’t want to see young people depressed about their size or socially isolated and staying away from the very things that can help them with their weight.

“It is not the child’s issue if they’re overweight, it is a family issue. Putting a child on a diet is not the right approach, you need to change the habits of the family, by eating healthier meals together, going for walks or whatever,” said Ms Mee.