WASHINGTON — We worry about our kids being overweight, but telling girls they have a weight problem can be a self-fulfilling prophecy — tell them it’s true and soon it will be.
Deborah Kotz, the Daily Dose health blogger for the Boston Globe, points to a study that followed girls from age 10 to age 20, and found that those who were told by parents, relatives or schoolmates that they’re fat are 66 percent more likely to be obese by the time they’re 20.
And it doesn’t even matter whether the girls were overweight to begin with.
But the constant stress of being called fat — “weight-shaming” — leads the girls to begin eating more and believing there’s nothing they can do about their weight.
The solution? Besides being careful not to weight-shame your daughter, set a good example of healthy eating and exercise that she can maintain through adulthood.
“Doing the things they want their kids to do is far better than giving them a lecture,” she says.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
