A recent study of more than 2,500 adolescents found that teasing, and pressure to lose weight often increased the risk of obesity in teens that were already overweight. The study also found that overweight teens were just as likely to use unhealthy weight-control measures (i.e. - purging, laxatives, or overuse of diet pills) as under-weight kids.
"Pushing diets won't help. Neither will teasing about weight. Instead parents should focus on having frequent family meals, creating a positive atmosphere at mealtimes, promoting physical activity and building self-esteem, the researchers recommend."
About one-fourth of the overweight girls in the study reported using extreme measures to try and lose weight. The study emphasizes the fact that body-image and self-esteem issues lie at the heart of weight problems at both ends of the spectrum.
Labels: body_image, self_esteem, unhealthy_food_choices