Shocking Body Image Survey Results
A survey commissioned for the programme Dying To Be Thin: Tonight, on ITV recently showed that body image amongst young people and children has become an increasingly worrying issue for parents and carers.
There are a lot younger children who are unhappy with their body weight more than ever before. It has been said that media images are responsible for this issue with their portrayal of “perfect” bodies, but this is a debate that is ongoing. There has been a recent poll carried out by online survey companies Onepoll and Youngpoll, who report the following:-
- Almost a quarter of children under 10 consider themselves overweight, according to a new survey.
- 28% have been bullied because of their weight, while 26% have skipped a meal in the hope of losing some pounds.
- The poll of 1,500 young people aged seven to 18 also found that more than 40% of under 10s worry about their weight and almost a quarter (23%) have been on a diet in the past year.
- Two thirds (66%) of this age group admit to weighing themselves, with 37% doing so regularly. And 38% say they are influenced by a “diet obsessed society”.
- Among youngsters aged 11 to 13, 34% are not happy with their weight and 61% worry about it, 45% have been on a diet, including 15% in the last year.
- Some 77% of this age group weigh themselves, with half doing so regularly. And 44% have been the victim of bullying over their size while 51% say they are influenced by society’s expectations.
- Of all the age groups, 13% say they are on a constant diet, while more than a quarter have visited anorexia websites and 5% do so on a regular basis.
- More than half also said they had heard of people making themselves sick after eating and 16% think laxatives help weight loss.
- More than half of girls surveyed said they want to be a size 10 or smaller when they are older.