Adolescent Girls: When Weight Becomes an Obsession

Contributed by Canopy Cove

We live in an era where the pursuit of the thin-ideal through dieting and weight loss is an apparent cultural norm. The impact of this pursuit of thinness and the dieting mentality we share as a culture has a significant effect on weight obsession in young girls.

It fuels young girls’ obsession with weight obsession and body shape that is so common in adolescent girls these days that some professionals deem it as a part of normal development.

Statistics support this notion, as 62.3% of teenage girls report trying to lose weight and 58.6% are actively dieting [6]. And 68.4% of girls exercise with the goal of losing weight or avoiding gaining weight [6].

The sociocultural idealization of thinness is, in fact, the best-known environmental contributor to the development of eating disorders [1]. This is illustrated by multiple studies.

Take for example in one study of American elementary school girls who read magazines: 69% said that the pictures in the magazines influence their concept of the ideal body shape and 47% say the pictures make them want to lose weight [2].

By the young age of 6, girls already begin to express concerns about their own weight or shape [3]. 40-60% of elementary school girls (ages 6-12) are concerned about their weight or about becoming too fat [3]. This concern also seems to endure through life [3].

In a large study of 14- and 15-year-olds, dieting was the most important predictor of a developing eating disorder [4]. Those who dieted moderately were 5x more likely to develop an eating disorder, and those who practiced extreme restriction were 18x more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who did not diet [4].

This body dissatisfaction and weight obsession can culminate into an eating disorder. Studies have found that 35-57% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, fasting, self-induced vomiting, or use of diet pills or laxatives as a means to control or lose weight [7, 8, 9].

And when one group of researchers followed 496 adolescent girls for eight years (until they were 20), they found that 5.2% of the girls met criteria for DSM-5 anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder [5].

And when these researchers included nonspecific eating disorder symptoms, a total of 13.2% of the girls had suffered from a DSM-5 eating disorder by age 20 [5].

Unfortunately, these types of statistics go on and on. Ample research has shown that this obsession with body weight and shape wreaks havoc on adolescent girls’ self-esteem, wellbeing, and mental health [10, 11, 12].

What’s more is that this pursuit of thinness and dieting mentality fuels deeper cultural issues like weight stigma and bullying.

It is evident that in order to prevent our young girls from suffering, we, as a culture, must move away from the pursuit of thinness and the dieting mentality and move towards a culture that is accepting of health at every size and promotes intuitive eating.

---

Sources:

1. Culbert, K. M., Racine, S. E., & Klump, K. L. (2015). Research Review: What we have learned about the causes of eating disorders – a synthesis of sociocultural, psychological, and biological research. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 56(11), 1141-1164.

2. Martin, J. B. (2010). The Development of Ideal Body Image Perceptions in the United States. Nutrition Today, 45(3), 98-100. Retrieved from nursingcenter.com/pdf.asp?AID=1023485

3. Smolak, L. (2011). Body image development in childhood. In T. Cash & L. Smolak (Eds.), Body Image: A Handbook of Science, Practice, and Prevention (2nd ed.).New York: Guilford.

4. Golden, N. H., Schneider, M., & Wood, C. (2016). Preventing Obesity and Eating Disorders in Adolescents. Pediatrics, 138(3). doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1649

5. Stice E, Marti CN, Shaw H, and Jaconis M. (2010). An 8-year longitudinal study of the natural history of threshold, subthreshold, and partial eating disorders from a community sample of adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118(3):587-97. doi: 10.1037/a0016481.

6. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. Food for Thought: Substance Abuse and Eating Disorders. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) Columbia University; New York: 2003.

7. Boutelle, K., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., &Resnick, M. (2002).Weight control behaviors among obese, overweight, and nonoverweight adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Psychology,27, 531-540.

8. Neumark-Sztainer, D., &Hannan, P. (2001). Weight-related behaviors among adolescent girls and boys: A national survey. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 154, 569-577.

9. Wertheim, E., Paxton, S., &Blaney, S. (2009).Body image in girls. In L. Smolak & J. K. Thompson (Eds.), Body image, eating disorders, and obesity in youth: Assessment, prevention, and treatment (2nd ed.) (pp. 47-76). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

10. Andreyeva, T., Puhl, R. M. and Brownell, K. D. (2008), Changes in Perceived Weight Discrimination Among Americans, 1995–1996 Through 2004–2006. Obesity, 16: 1129–1134. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.35

11. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. Food for Thought: Substance Abuse and Eating Disorders. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) Columbia University; New York: 2003.

12. Hatzenbuehler ML, Keyes KM, Hasin DS. Associations between perceived weight discrimination and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the general population. Obesity 2009;17(11)2033–2039

---

About Our Sponsor:

Canopy Cove Eating Disorder Treatment Center is a leading residential Eating Disorder Treatment Center with 25 years’ experience treating adults and teens who are seeking lasting recovery from Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder and other related eating disorders.

We are a licensed rehabilitative provider accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. Trusted and recommended by doctors and therapists throughout the country, our program provides clients with clinical excellence and compassionate care.

As one of the most experienced Eating Disorder Centers in the nation, we’ve developed a highly effective program that incorporates solid evidence-based therapies which have been shown to increase recovery rates.

• Each person we treat receives a customized treatment plan tailored to their specific needs.
• We increase recovery rates by simultaneously treating co-existing conditions such as anxiety, depression. (We also accept clients with an Eating Disorder and co-existing Diabetes).
• We provide family education and family therapy throughout the recovery process. (Offered by phone for out of town families).
  Our Christian-based eating disorder treatment program warmly accepts all clients from various belief systems.

Get help now. Call 855-338-8620.
www.canopycove.com
info@CanopyCove.com

---

About the Author:

Chelsea Fielder-Jenks is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in Austin, Texas. Chelsea works with individuals, families, and groups primarily from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) framework.

She has extensive experience working with adolescents, families, and adults who struggle with eating, substance use, and various co-occurring mental health disorders. You can learn more about Chelsea and her private practice at ThriveCounselingAustin.com.

---

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Published on November 6, 2018.
Reviewed & Approved on November 6, 2018, by Jacquelyn Ekern MS, LPC

Published on EatingDisorderHope.com