A Girl's Perception of Her Social Status Affects Her Weight

Is your teenage girl popular at school? If not, she’s more likely to gain weight. Now, we already know that being overweight can lead to being socially isolated for teenagers, but according to the New York Times, a new study finds that the opposite is true, too. A girl’s perception of her social status affects her weight.
Researchers at Harvard University studied 4,500 teenage girls. They recorded their body mass index, and then asked them to rank themselves from one to ten in terms of school popularity. The question was, “Where would you be on a ladder if the students at the top have the most respect, and no one wants to hang out with the ones at the bottom?” Two years later, the girls who’d rated themselves a four out of 10 on the popularity scale, or lower, had gained the most weight - an average of eleven pounds. In fact, girls who thought they were low in the pecking order had a 70% higher risk of gaining excess weight.
The researchers adjusted the data to account for variables like family income, diet and TV viewing habits. Still, the link between a girl’s perceptions of her own popularity and her odds of gaining weight were strong. So what can a parent do? First, encourage your daughter to eat well and get active. Also, look at her social network, because even your best efforts can be undermined by the mean girls at school. You should encourage your daughter to enroll in group activities outside of school so she can make friends who enjoy the same things she does. Because when girls are in supportive social environments, they feel more secure and accepted and that could go a long way to helping them accept themselves AND their body.