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Girls Called 'Too Fat' Are More Likely To Become Obese Study Finds

Michelle Bergmann |
April 30, 2014 | 11:51 a.m. PDT

Executive Producer

(via Flickr)
(via Flickr)
A study finds that regardless of what a young girl weighs, if she is called "too fat" at ten years old she is more likely to be obese by the time she turns 19 years old.

The story was published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics' print addition online which concluded that girls that are "weight labeled" at a young age can influence their likelihood of becoming obese in the future. 

Researchers at UCLA conducted the long-term study to challenge the idea that shaming people into losing weight is an effective way to deal with obesity.  

Read About Childhood Obesity

The senior author Janet Tomiyama told the LA Times, "Making people feel bad about their weight can backfire. It can be demoralizing and we know that when people feel bad they often reach for comfort food."

Tomiyama and her colleagues used data from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study which followed more than 2,300 girls from the time they were 10 years old to 19 years old. 

The girls were asked at ten years old if they had been called "too fat" by people close to them. For example, their father, mother, brother, sister, best girlfriend, boyfriend, any other boy or girl or teacher. If the girl answered yes, she was considered "weight labeled". Researchers found that the young girls that were followed until they were 19 years old were 1.66 times more likely to become obese if they were called "too fat" by people close to them.

Tomiyama says that the words make an impact regarldess of your intentions. She suggests to stay away from the word "fat" and instead use "health" and "excercize" as a part of the conversation. 

Read more at the LA Times.

Reach Executive Reporter Michelle Bergmann here



 

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