Parents add weight to children’s body consciousness

Children as young as eight are increasingly body conscious while parents typically overestimate the size of their children, according to new research.

Two separate studies conducted by the school of applied psychology at UCC also indicate that 80% of young people are unhappy with their body — and the older the child, the more likely the child wants to be thinner.

Samantha Dockray of the school of applied psychology said the findings showed many children were caught between snacking on calorie-dense food while wishing they were thinner.

The research also shows most parents overestimated the size of normal weight boys and girls, classifying them as overweight. Parents also tend to categorise normal weight girls as overweight, but classified underweight boys as normal weight.

The study was completed by 119 children aged eight to 12 who live in Cork City. It found that fewer than 10% of children accurately indicted their body size, about 10% overestimated themselves but 80% underestimated themselves.

More than four-in-five children were unhappy with their perceived size and Dr Dockray said: “The fact that eight and nine-year-olds of normal weight are concerned about their size is stunning.”

According to the study: “Children were dissatisfied with their body size and this was true for both boys and girls. The older the child, the more they wanted to be thinner. The ‘body ideal’ pressure begins in early childhood, and is exerted by media and by family and peers.”

In the parent study, 132 Cork-based parents of children aged between 6 and 12 years were shown a series of 14 pictures — seven pictures of a boy and seven of a girl where the bodies of each had been computer manipulated to be underweight, normal weight, or overweight.

They were then asked to indicate if the boy or girl shown in each photo was of normal weight or under or overweight.

The provisional findings showed that parents inaccurately categorised normal weight girls as overweight, stating: “Misperceptions about girls weight by parents can enhance or create a vulnerability to body dysmorphia and disordered eating in healthy girls. There is a need for parent education about health sizes for girls at all ages.”

Dr Dockray said parents said they did not follow body mass index charts and instead trusted their eyes when it came to guessing the size of their own children.

Parents also inaccurately assessed underweight children as normal weight: “The normalisation of underweight has serious implications for the healthy development of body image and health behaviours for both boys and girls.

“The rising prevalence of disordered eating and exercise behaviour in boys highlights the need to equal attention to risk for boys and girls in Ireland.”

The study, carried out by Sinead O’Brien and Amanda Gleeson under the direction of Dr Dockray, is the first to evaluate body size accuracy in Irish children and parents. The findings will be presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland Annual Conference in Cork in November.