Eating disorder link to dieting mothers GIRLS whose mothers are
on a diet are almost twice as likely to have an eating disorder,
a poll of more than 500 teenagers has found. Many girls say
their mother has the biggest influence on their own self-image
and they feel damaged by the effects of their mum's dieting and
views on food. The survey of 512 teenage girls, aged between 12
and 18 found that 6 per cent had an eating disorder, rising to
one in ten among those whose mothers diet. Almost four out of
ten girls said their mother had the biggest influence on how
they perceived themselves. Two-thirds of those surveyed said
they had heard their mum complaining about her own weight and 56
per cent have mothers who are on a diet – despite 68 per cent
describing their mother's body size as normal. Other findings
include: • Just over half of teenage girls surveyed have dieted,
rising to 59 per cent among those girls whose mothers diet. •
Almost eight out of ten girls worry about their weight – 20 per
cent say they wor