Negative body image can start as young as kindergarten age
Those negative body images that plague so many teenagers may start as early as kindergarten, especially among overweight girls, shows a new study of 8,000 children by researchers at the University of Missouri. They found that between kindergarten and third grade, boys and girls who were overweight experienced more anxiety, loneliness and depression than their non-overweight peers. As time passed, those negative feelings got worse. Overweight girls suffered the most, exhibiting less self-control and fewer constructive social relations than non-overweight girls. The researchers say this demonstrates the need for more efforts to encourage healthy habits, and more intervention to help overweight children cope.