When it comes to body weight and shape, teenagers are one of the most vulnerable groups. Studies show that many teens have compelling desire to look shapely and lean, but they have comparatively little knowledge of nutrition or health, and how these factors relate to weight and body shape.
As a result, most often they will resort to useless and/or harmful methods of weight reduction, these methods can cause a significant impact upon their health and weight in adulthood. But teens are not the only group that has worries about weight and shape. Here are some facts and research information across the different age groups.
During a 8-year period, from ages 11-19 years, adolescent girls experience dramatic changes in height, weight, bone composition and body fat distribution.
Storage and deposition of fat occurs at a far greater rate in girls than in boys. In fact, boys usually lose body fat late in adolescence whereas
girls store it as a natural part of their development. Each adolescent or teen experiences these changes at different rates, and it is only at the end of the growth spurt that a teenage girl can see how all these changes have altered her overall body shape.
Reports indicate that children as young as 5 years old are becoming concerned even obsessed, with their weight and body shape. Indeed, eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors are appearing in pre-teens and teens at an increasing rate.
According to US estimates from The National Institute of Mental Health, between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of girls and women (i.e. 5-10 million people) and 1 million boys and men suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or other associated dietary conditions. Estimates suggest that as many as 15 percent of young women adopt unhealthy eating patterns.
Dieting is becoming common behavior among pre-adolescent girls as young as 10 years of age, according to a study by the University of Minnesota.
Using data from a survey of 234 Girl Scout troop members who were approximately 10 years old, the survey found that nearly 30 percent of the girls reported trying to lose weight with dieting.
In a sample of schoolgirls aged 15 years, of over 400 subjects, almost 60 percent reported that they wanted to look leaner and 68 percent had previously tried to lose weight. This dissatisfaction with weight was not limited to overweight girls. Normal weight and even underweight girls also expressed a desire to be thinner and reported using unhealthy weight control methods including random avoidance of staple foods, fasting, smoking and purging, in their pursuit of the 'perfect' female figure.
According to recent research from the US, a mere 1 percent of young US women (aged 18-22) were "completely happy" with the shape of their body, while 10 percent admitted to taking drugs to try to achieve their ideal weight.