Boarding Schools for Girls

Obese girls who read a novel about an overweight teen's struggle lost more weight than did girls who read a "weight neutral" novel or did not read any novel at all, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

• Researchers divided 33 obese girls into three groups.
  
• One group read a novel about an overweight girl who goes rock climbing, hiking, and canoeing after being ridiculed by her classmates.
  
• The other two groups either were not assigned to a novel or read one that did not address weight issues.
• There was a small but significant difference in the number of pounds lost by those who read the novel that addressed being overweight, said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, director of the Healthy Lifestyles Program at Duke University.

"This provides hope to parents that something as simple as an inspiring novel can help kids make healthier choices and lower their risk of illness," Dr. Armstrong said.

Labels: weight loss, obesity, weight-gain, reading

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In a July 6 letter to boston.com parenting expert Barbara Meltz, a parent expressed concerns about her young daughter's worries about weight and body size:

QUESTION: My daughter, age 9, has recently started talking about her weight. She refers to herself as fat, talks about how big her tummy is. Initially, I ignored this, hoping it was short-term. Well, it's not - this has persisted for 3 to 4 months. She is not fat: she is very muscular and athletic and just right.

ANSWER: While you don't want to over-react, disordered eating is what leads to eating disorders, and disordered thinking is a big piece of that. So keep your pediatrician in the loop and familiarize yourself with the danger signs of eating disorders just as a point of education.

Now, since she eats a pretty healthy diet as it is, ramp down the conversation about what she eats. Stop making suggestions (unless she asks your opinion) and relegate the topic of food to a minor one in your home.

Meltz also advised the mother to monitor the types of media her child is viewing, set a positive example, emphasize healthy behaviors instead of merely healthy eating, and develop an appreciation for the beauty of size diversity.

Other experts have noted that parents play an important role in helping daughters develop healthy self-esteem, which can significantly reduce their risk of struggling with an eating disorder.

Labels: weight-gain, self-esteem, body image

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Smoking makes teenage girls fat - but it may take 10 years to happen.

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health followed over 4,200 twins from age 16 to their mid-twenties. The women in the study who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day as teenagers were 2.5 times more likely to be overweight in their twenties than non-smoking girls. The effect did not hold true for boys.

"My hunch is that women are more likely to smoke for weight control in adolescence," said lead author, Professor Sherry Pagoto of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "When people quit, they start snacking during those times they used to be smoking."

Labels: health, weight-gain, smoking

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