Bad Family Situations May Infuence Teenagers to Engage in Risky Dieting

Teenagers who live with unstable family conditions are more prone to try risky dieting fads and become depressed, unhealthy. This was the theory of a new study from Australia wherein 4,000 teenaged girls aged 11 to 14 were interviewed.

Based on the findings, the more unhappy or unstable the emotional climate of their families are , the higher the chances of a young girl are to skip meals, count calories, or engage in dieting activities that may inevitably prove bad for their over-all health.

The study was co-authored by Adrian Kelly of the University of Queensland, and he said that there were many factors that can be connected to the development of risky dieting among teenagers and adolescents. Their study focuses on the family background and experiences of young girls.

The participants in the study were made to answer a written survey that focused on their eating behaviors. It was noted whether or not the respondents counted calories, lowered their food intake, or neglected to eat their meals deliberately as a way to stop gaining weight. They were also asked to note how often or how seldom they engaged in such behavior.

The respondents were also asked through the questionnaire how their relationships were with their mothers and fathers. They were asked to rate how frequent or how seldom there was yelling or exchanges of insults at home between the family members.

It was discovered that if teenaged girls are experiencing problems with their families, they eat less. A separate study has already revealed that in Australia, around 39 percent of teen girls do intermediate or extreme. Included among the other factors that contribute to unhealthy or risky dieting are the socioeconomic status of the respondents based on the occupations of the teenagers' parents.

The value of the study is such that it points out how a negative and unhealthy home environment affects the wellbeing of children and teenagers.

In the meantime, there are many separate studies that argue how society's "obsession" with what makes a young woman beautiful can also influence adolescents, especially females, to engage in unhealthy dieting practices. Many teenagers feel that to be acceptable, they need to eat less and lose weight; otherwise, they feel that they will be treated as outsiders. Feelings of being different or left out can lead to depression, and this can cause a teenager to also eat even less than they already do because of their dieting.