Teens Smoke to Lose Weight, researcher says
July 13, 2005
A health researcher has identified what she calls a
concerning trend of teenagers smoking
to lose
weight.
Sydney University Professor Jenny O'Dea has conducted
surveys that have found children as young as 11 are
deliberately smoking to get thin.
She is worried teenagers are being pressured by images
of thin people in the media.
"I found 3 per cent of the teenagers aged 11 to
14, but that increased to 7 per cent in young women
aged about 20, so I think it is concerning, that's a
lot of kids," she said.
"If we over emphasise the importance of weight
and overemphasise the importance of obesity prevention,
then we'll increase young people's concerns about their
weight and we know weight concerns causes more smoking
in young people."
Dr O'Dea will present her findings to a food science
conference today in Sydney.
Source: http://www.abc.net.au
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