Some children think they should look like movie stars. Overweight girls as young as five don't like themselves. Parents dieting makes kids think they should, too.
Kids develop bad eating habits watching television.
These are among the findings of four studies in the journal Pediatrics looking at children and their relationship to food. The reports were released amidst growing concern about the girth of America's kids. Experts estimate that nearly one quarter of children in this nation are overweight, with those figures swelling each year. Anorexia is also a growing problem among girls and more research is pointing to boys worrying about body image too. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston questioned over 12,000 children, ages 9 to 14, in 1996 and followed up with more questions the next year.