We often speak of the obesity of children, less problems of thinness. However, more and more girls and adolescent girls, obsessed with their bodies, have an abnormal weight. How to detect thinness and how to talk to your child?
Between 11 and 14 years old, one in five girls is considered to be “meager”. An alarming observation revealed in the weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH) (June 2017.) This figure, which has quintuplely in France between 2006 and 2015, worries parents and above all, the medical profession. So how to explain this evolution? What advice to give to the parents concerned? Should they consider medical and/or psychological management? How to talk to it with your child? We take stock with Sylvie Hubinois, pediatrician and president of AFPA (French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics).
A cult of thinness?
“”Even if on my small scale, I do not notice this increase in a very significant way, it is true that there is a concern of weight in more and more children or teenagers“, Comments Sylvie Hubinois. The pediatrician adds that for a few years, we have been fighting mainly against obesity. “We are flooded with public health messages which recommend that we” eat less fatty, less salty, less sweet “, to avoid deviating and snacking still far too frequent in certain families, she points out. These messages are very useful in particular for children who tend to abuse screens and who during this time nibble and do not move enough. But by seeing this, many parents apply, from an early age of the child, these principles to the letter. For their part, when they grow, Children are always hammered with advertisements When watching TV. They are arrested by these messages and become truly formatteds“”. However, to grow and make cells, children, growing need a balanced diet with proportionally higher fat intake to that of adults.
“Fative foods are necessary for the growth of children”
Social pressure in favor of a cult of thinness on TV, in magazines or social networks, the impact of certain challenges on the Internet and blogs that promote anorexia can explain this trend. Indeed, “The group of young girls concerned (11-14 years old) is in the middle of the pre-puberty period, they feel too large because they see their bodies transform and take forms. Thus, a certain number of girls restricted themselves, because of the pressure of their environment, they follow the influence of magazines or sites which must play on their perception of themselves“, Specifies the expert.
How to spot a case of thinness in a teenager or a child?
Please note, all thinnings does not imply mental anorexia. We must make the difference between children who do not have a great appetite and those who are obsessed with their weight. “”As a professional, you can easily identify a lean child/teenager, as soon as interrogation on his eating behaviors, but also through his physical appearance and above all, objectively, with his BMI (body mass index)“Explains the specialist. Also, in playgrounds, children tend to compare their weights without taking their size into account and to be alarmed if they are heavier than their friends.”The most important thing is above all The evolution of the growth curveit must be regular and harmonious. But beware, there are children who, by their genetics or because they are small eaters, are at the bottom of the curve, and that is not that they are not in the norm“, Adds Dr. Hubinois. Indeed, we must rather worry when the child” breaks “his weight or size curve, which can hide a chronic disease, anorexia or a somatic disease requiring treatment.
What risks on health?
If fortunately, this obsession with thinness is often temporary, parents must be vigilant because if it occurs before or during puberty, it can impact the growth of the child. “”In addition to the psychological danger, which induces eating disorders, thinness can cause imbalances in food, nutrient deficiencies, for example the manufacture of bone of less quality and therefore sometimes of early osteoporosis. As long as it has not finished its growth, a child innutri or malnutri will not reach his normal size“, Specifies the pediatrician. Hence the importance of regularly monitoring the growth curve of all children by a doctor accustomed to pediatrics.
Parents: How to talk to it with your child or teenager?
“During meals, look at what your child eats”
In addition to the societal impact, the family can also influence the child’s gaze on their weight. Too concerned about a possible overweight, some parents sometimes apply restrictions in the food of their children. Indeed, “They are sometimes obsessed with the weight of their children while they have a completely normal BMI. They delete, as for them and as much as possible, salt and especially the fats of the meals of their young children when at this age, they particularly need it“, She adds. For children who voluntarily put themselves in food restriction, it is important for them not to feel judged and to have confidence in his parents. The parent, he must show himself as neutral as possible and on the lookout for any changes in the eating behavior of her child. “”You have to know how to observe your children, dialogue and spend time with them. During meals, they have to make sure they eat. If parents have a doubt, they should not hesitate to talk to their child, above all, without pointing or sanctioning them“. In addition, the Internet, social networks or certain blogs that promote thinness are also very harmful for young people. Parents must have the most optimal control possible on what they look at (as far as possible no computer in the room, but rather in a common room).
A suitable care
Psychological and/or medical supports are to be considered when a psychological or somatic disorder has been detected, but also, for certain cases of grade 1 and in the event of breach of the BMI curve. Thus, doctors can be the catalysts of parents/children dialogue by weight-toe measures. Indeed, “If parents have a doubt about the behavior of their children, they can completely call a doctor who will be there to chat with the teenager, with an outside and objective look“Said Dr. Hubinois.”If the disorder continues or it turns into proven mental anorexia, the doctor will then surround himself with a team for follow-up, composed of a psychologist, a psychiatrist or a pedychiatrician and possibly dieticians“, She concludes.
