Mothers pass weight worries to daughters

Most teenage girls worry about their weight and are twice as likely to go on a diet if their mothers regularly try to slim.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Nov 2010, 23:03 BST
Updated 18th Nov 2010, 23:10 BST

While 93 per cent of girls are concerned about their size, more than half (58 per cent) say their families comment on what they eat, according to the survey by Sugar magazine.

A total of 15 per cent of respondents admitted they regularly diet but for those whose mothers regularly change their eating habits the figure rises to 30 per cent.

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Meanwhile, a quarter of the teenage girls surveyed claimed they had a friend with an eating disorder.

Annabel Brog, editor of Sugar, said: "All mums want the best for our daughters, but we live in a world preoccupied with body size, and inevitably daughters are picking up on, and assimilating, anxieties their mums have about their own bodies."