80 Percent of 10-Year-Olds Diet, Says Study
A new study recently published highlights the growing concern for parents trying to give a positive message about appearance to their daughters while trying to put less emphasis on perceived beauty.
The study was published by the Keep It Real Campaign in collaboration with Miss Representation, the SPARK Movement, Love Social, Endangered Bodies and I Am That Girl and states a disturbing figure that about 80 percent of all 10-year-old girls have gone on at least one diet in their lives.
The Keep It Real Campaign is focused on improving the body image issues many young adults face. The research for the study titled, "Eating Disorders Today - Not Just a Girl Thing," was completed by Kimberly Hepworth.
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Another disturbing fact that was explained in the study states that 53 percent of 13-year-old girls have issues with the appearance of their bodies, increasing to 78 percent when girls turn 17. Forty to 60 percent of children aged 6 to 12 are worried about how much they weigh, with 70 percent wanting to shed a few pounds.
Lynn Grefe, president and CEO of the National Eating Disorder Association, explained that children suffering from eating disorders keep getting "younger and younger."
"I've seen a girl as young as 8 years old on a feeding tube," Grefe told CBS. "It's a serious problem."
"You can talk to your kids about these things but they still see the world sees thin as beautiful and thin as the right way to be," mom Louisa Allard told FOX.
Allard claimed her nine-year-old daughter Tatum already has started asking her about dieting and exercise programs while admitting that some of her friends are concerned with their weight as well.
"Well some of my friends, they sometimes think they're too chubby and like, they just talk about it a little bit," Tatum said.
