Post: Reading Isn't Always Good for Your Health
Reading Isn't Always Good for Your Health
A brand new study has discoverd that when middle and high school girls read too many magazine articles about dieting and weight loss they are more likely to develop unhealthy ways of trying to control their weight -- like skipping meals, smoking, fasting -- as they get older.
What's more, eating-disordered behavior like throwing up and taking laxatives is also much higher in girls who read the most magazine articles compared to those who don't read them at all!
What does this study tell you? It tells me that kids and teens are allowing the media (magazines in this case, but also TV, movies, internet) to have too much influence over the way they feel about their bodies!
So, what can kids and parents do?
First remind girls that magazine articles are written to sell magazines, so the promises that diets and weight loss articles (and the accompanying pictures) offer, tempt you to choose one magazine over another -- but they may not be possible to achieve.
In addition, the diets and weight loss plans for adults are often not well balanced enough for teens. Therefore, parents should be cautioned to bring as few women's magazines into your homes as possible during the preteen and teen years and strongly dissuade your child from reading and buying these magazines. When it comes to dieting and weight loss articles, the magazines that cater specifically to teens, are far better than the women's magazine's that many teens often read.
Keeping the lines of communication open, and keeping your eyes and ears open is also important. If you even suspect an eating disorder, seek immediate professional help because early intervention is critical. February is Eating Disorder Awareness Month.
This article originally appeared on Dr. Susan's Blog For more advice on managing magazines, click here.
There are 2 replies to this post
Date: January 5, 2007
Set a good example?
Date: January 5, 2007
A few months ago, I would have dismissed this article as interesting & informative, but not really necessary to me or my family.
Since November, my smart, athletic, well-adjusted, previously "easy" youngest daughter has been struggling for her life against an eating disorder that almost killed her. Her experience has made me examine everything from the magazines I subscribe to (looking at them through her eyes, I see how the fashions and ads in Vogue and In Style all feature freakishly thin models) to the commercials and news stories on the TV I watch (references to weight loss every 10 minutes) to the idle comments people make about women's appearance or looks, on TV or in the movies (whose business is it, anyway, if some actress looks fat, wears skanky clothes, or has an ugly chin?)
I'd just like to add, that the pro-anorexia, pro-bulimia Websites that my daughter was visiting are something I couldn't have imagined. They are even worse than the magazine articles and fashions, because they explicitly encourage this behavior.
To all the parents who think this couldn't happen to you, think again and take this seriously.