Weight Worries May Start Early for Slim WomenThere is a range of reasons why thin women th

Weight Worries May Start Early for Slim Women

There is a range of reasons why thin women think they're too heavy, but the distorted body image may often have its roots in childhood, the results of a new study suggest.

Researchers found that among more than 2400 thin women they surveyed, nearly 10 percent thought they were too heavy. (46)

According to the study authors, led by Dr. Susanne Kruger Kjaer of the Danish Cancer Society Copenhagen, " society's ideal" female body is moving toward an underweight physique (体格). (47)

To investigate body image among thin women, the researchers gave questionnaires (调查表)to 2, 443 women ages 27 to 38 whose body mass index was at the low end of normal. (48)

Overall, almost 10 percent of the women thought they were too heavy. Those who reported certain "severe life events" in childhood or adolescence, such as having a parent become ill or having their educational hopes dashed (使破灭) , were more likely than others to have a distorted body image. (49)

In contrast, traumatic (使人不快的)events in adulthood, such as serious illness or significant marital problems, were not related to poor body image, the researchers report. (50)

A. The same was true for women who started having sex or drinking alcohol when they were younger than 15 years old.

B. Experiences in childhood, including having an ill parent, or starting to drink or have sex at a particularly young age, were among the risk factors for having a distorted body image.

C. "Our results indicate that the risk of being dissatisfied with (one's) own body weight may be established early in life. "Kjaer and her colleagues write.

D. Research suggests that many normal-weight women wish to weigh less.

E. If worries have altered your appetite or weight, it will help to talk to someone about it.

F. The women were asked about factors ranging from childhood experiences to current exercise habits.

(46)