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Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsA Simple Way to Help Prevent Child ObesityType 1 Diabetes Might Affect Young Kids' Brain DevelopmentHow to Put Limits on Your Family's Screen TimeChickenpox Vaccine Shields Kids From Shingles, TooWhooping Cough Vaccine Effectiveness Fades With Time: StudyHundreds of Young Kids Drown in Pools Each Year -- Keep Yours SafeWhich Dogs Are More Likely to Bite Your Kids?Health Tip: Preventing Swimmer's EarAHA News: With Summer Vacation Here, How Much Screen Time Is Too Much?Health Tip: Prevent BullyingHealth Tip: Avoid Mouth Injuries in ChildrenKids Still Being Poisoned by Detergent PodsViolent Video Games, Unlocked Guns a Dangerous Combo for KidsWhy Some Kids With Eczema Are at Higher Allergy Risk'Controlled Burns' Better for Kids' Health Than Wildfires: StudyHow Kids Benefit From Doing ChoresAHA News: Report Seeks Answers About Mysterious, Dangerous Heart Disease in KidsKids of Opioid-Using Parents May Be More Likely to Attempt SuicideCholesterol Levels Improving Among U.S. KidsEarlier Bedtimes Help Kids Fight Obesity1 in 5 Kids Don't Strap on Helmets Before BikingParents, Here's How to Protect Your Child During Measles OutbreaksMore Than 600,000 Opioid Abusers Raising Kids in U.S.2 of 3 Parents Read Texts While DrivingFear of Dentist May Start Early for Minority Kids -- With Good ReasonMilitary Tourniquets Might Save Kids' Lives During School ShootingsE-Cigarettes Used in 5% of U.S. Homes With KidsMany Kids With Chronic Illness Are Still Happy: StudyDiet Sodas May Not Help Kids Cut CaloriesAsthma Inhalers Incorrectly Used by Most Kids in StudyNewer Diabetes Drug Shows Promise in Kids, TeensBenlysta Approved for Children With LupusParents, Protect Your Kids as Measles Outbreaks SpreadHow Much Does Your Kid Weigh? Chances Are, You're UnderestimatingFor Kids, Obesity and Mental Health Woes Often Go Hand-in-HandWhy Kids Should Play More Than One SportBetter Food Assistance Programs Might Lower Childhood Obesity RatesMany U.S. Kids Don't Drink Enough Water, and Obesity May Be the ResultStrict Blood Pressure Limits for Kids Tied to Heart Health LaterAlmost Half of Young Asthma Patients Misuse InhalersCan Games and Apps Help Your Kids Learn?Kids Can Get UTIs, TooInactive Lifestyle Begins as Early as Age 7: StudyWhy the HPV Vaccine Is More Important Than EverMore Time Spent in Sports, Faster Healing From ConcussionHow to Cut Your Kids' Sugar IntakeLiving Near Major Roads Can Slow Kids' Development: StudySuicidal Behavior Nearly Doubles Among U.S. KidsTeaching Kids the Importance of an ApologyAHA News: Kids With High Blood Pressure Need Smooth Transition to Adult Care Questions and AnswersVideosLinksBook Reviews100 Things Guys Need to Know3 NBS of Julian DrewA Guide to Asperger SyndromeA Tribe ApartA User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HDA Walk in the Rain With a BrainAdolescence and Body ImageAdolescent DepressionAfterAggression and Antisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsAll Alone in the UniverseAmelia RulesAmericaAnother PlanetAntisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsArtemis FowlAssessment and Treatment of Childhood Problems, Second EditionAutistic Spectrum DisordersBad GirlBetween Two WorldsBeyond AppearanceBeyond Diversity DayBig Mouth & Ugly GirlBill HensonBipolar DisordersBody Image, Eating Disorders, and ObesityBody Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in YouthBoyBoysBrandedBreaking PointBreathing UnderwaterBringing Up ParentsBullying and TeasingCan't Eat, Won't EatCatalystChild and Adolescent Psychological DisordersChildren Changed by TraumaChildren with Emerald EyesChildren’s Dreaming and the Development of Consciousness City of OneConcise Guide to Child and Adolescent PsychiatryConquering the Beast WithinContentious IssuesCrackedCutDancing in My NuddypantsDemystifying the Autistic ExperienceDescartes' BabyDilemmas of DesireDirtyDoing ItDoing SchoolDying to Be ThinEating an ArtichokeEducating Children With AutismElijah's CupEllison the ElephantEmerald City BluesEmotional and Behavioral Problems of Young ChildrenEvery Girl Tells a StoryFast GirlsFeather BoyFiregirlForever YoungFreaks, Geeks and Asperger SyndromeFreewillGeography ClubGeorgia Under WaterGirl in the MirrorGirlfightingGirlsourceGirlWiseGLBTQGood GirlsGoodbye RuneGranny Torrelli Makes SoupGrowing Up GirlHandbook for BoysHealing ADDHeartbeatHelping Children Cope With Disasters and TerrorismHelping Parents, Youth, and Teachers Understand Medications for Behavioral and Emotional ProblemsHollow KidsHow Children Learn the Meanings of WordsHow to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can'tHug MeIntrusive ParentingIt's Me!It's Perfectly NormalJake RileyJoey Pigza Swallowed the KeyJuvenile-Onset SchizophreniaKeeping the MoonKilling MonstersKim: Empty InsideKnocked Out by My Nunga-NungasLaura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with Your MonsterLearning About School ViolenceLeo the Lightning BugLet Kids Be KidsLiberation's ChildrenLife As We Know ItLisa, Bright and DarkLittle ChicagoLord of the FliesLoserLove and SexLove That DogManicMastering Anger and AggressionMind FieldsMiss American PieMom, Dad, I'm Gay.MonsterMore Than a LabelMyths of ChildhoodNew Hope for Children and Teens with Bipolar DisorderNo Two AlikeNot Much Just Chillin'Odd Girl OutOdd Girl Speaks OutOn the Frontier of AdulthoodOne Hot SecondOne in ThirteenOphelia SpeaksOphelia's MomOur Journey Through High Functioning Autism and Asperger SyndromeOut of the DustOvercoming School AnxietyParenting and the Child's WorldParenting Your Out-Of-Control TeenagerPediatric PsychopharmacologyPeriod PiecesPhobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and AdolescentsPINSPraising Boys WellPraising Girls WellPretty in PunkPrincess in the SpotlightProblem Child or Quirky Kid?Psychotherapy As PraxisPsychotherapy for Children and AdolescentsRaising a Self-StarterRaising BlazeRaising Resilient ChildrenReclaiming Our ChildrenRedressing the EmperorReducing Adolescent RiskRethinking ADHDReweaving the Autistic TapestryRineke DijkstraRitalin is Not the Answer Action GuideRunning on RitalinSay YesSexual Teens, Sexual MediaSexuality in AdolescenceShooterShort PeopleShould I Medicate My Child?Skin GameSmackSmashedStaying Connected to Your TeenagerStick FigureStoner & SpazStop Arguing with Your KidsStraight Talk about Your Child's Mental HealthStrong, Smart, & BoldStudent DepressionSurvival Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar DisorderSurviving OpheliaTaking Charge of ADHD, Revised EditionTaming the Troublesome ChildTargeting AutismTeaching Problems and the Problems of TeachingTeen Angst? NaaahThat SummerThe American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook Of Child And Adolescent PsychiatryThe Arctic IncidentThe Bipolar ChildThe Buffalo TreeThe Bully, the Bullied, and the BystanderThe Carnivorous CarnivalThe Depressed ChildThe Developing MindThe Dragons of AutismThe Dream BearerThe Dulcimer Boy The Einstein SyndromeThe EpidemicThe Eternity CubeThe Explosive ChildThe Field of the DogsThe First IdeaThe Identity TrapThe Inside Story on Teen GirlsThe Little TernThe Mean Girl MotiveThe Men They Will BecomeThe Myth of LazinessThe New Gay TeenagerThe Notebook GirlsThe Nurture AssumptionThe Opposite of InvisibleThe Order of the Poison OakThe Other ParentThe Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday LifeThe Real Truth About Teens and SexThe Rise and Fall of the American TeenagerThe Secret Lives of GirlsThe Sex Lives of TeenagersThe Shared HeartThe Spider and the BeeThe StepsThe Thought that CountsThe Unhappy ChildThe Vile VillageThe Whole ChildThen Again, Maybe I Won'tTherapy with ChildrenThings I Have to Tell YouTouching Spirit BearTrauma in the Lives of ChildrenTreacherous LoveTrue BelieverTwistedUnhappy TeenagersWay to Be!We're Not MonstersWhat about the KidsWhat Would Joey Do?What's Happening to My Body? Book for BoysWhat's Happening to My Body? Book for GirlsWhen Nothing Matters AnymoreWhen Sex Goes to SchoolWhen Your Child Has an Eating DisorderWhere The Kissing Never StopsWhose America?Why Are You So Sad?WinnicottWorried All the TimeYes, Your Teen Is Crazy!You Hear MeYoung People and Mental HealthYour Child, Bully or Victim? |
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by J. Kevin Thompson, and Linda Smolak (Editors) American Psychological Association, 2001 Review by Tiffany S. Ulatowski and Joseph W. Ulatowski on May 21st 2004 
Dramatic increases in childhood
obesity have many health professionals concerned. Future health complications
of obese children include heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and
high lipid levels. These chronic diseases are extremely costly and can lead to
premature death. Several studies have demonstrated that obese children will
become obese adults. Health professionals have begun implementing interventions
early in life to circumvent future health problems. Understanding the
development, prevention, and treatment of eating disturbances is the only way
to combat obesity and eating disorders. Thompson and Smolak's collaborative
anthology has accumulated current research on the assessment, prevention, and
treatment of eating irregularities in youth.
Development of eating disorders
derives from a number of factors. Perhaps the greatest factor in developing an
eating disorder is one's own family. In "Family Functioning, Body Image,
and Eating Disturbances," Ari Steinberg and Vicky Phares collaborate to show
the overwhelming influence family has on the development and maintenance of
maladaptive body image and eating disturbances. They argue that family
dysfunction and problematic communication styles serve to exacerbate eating
disorders. Family dysfunction has been known to be directly related to negative
self-esteem and related indirectly to eating disturbances. Also, children
internalize a parent's communicating beliefs about weight, dieting, and
exercise. Thus, this calls for greater attention of all family members, i.e.
parents and siblings, effect on the development of eating disorders in youth.
In "Assessment of Body Image
Disturbance in Children and Adolescents," Rick Gardner argues that
assessment of body image disturbances is important for understanding the
development of eating disorders. Most studies have explored high school aged
and college aged young adults, but Gardner believes that dissatisfaction with
one's own body image begins at a much earlier age. In fact, we should study the
manifestation of body image awareness in younger children. Young children are
particularly susceptible because of parental influence. Recent research has
shown that children, particularly girls, under the age of 10 have begun to show
signs of body image disturbances. Thus, assessment of body image disturbances
in younger children demands careful consideration.
Robinson and Killen describe the
use of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory as the foundation for their
intervention: Obesity Prevention for Pre-Adolescents (OPPrA). Aimed at
ethnically and socio-economically diverse adolescents, this intervention not
only provides health education in the classroom but also includes educational
material for parents: dietary materials focus on healthy foods, such as fruits
and vegetables, while material about physical education focus on enjoyable
activities. Parents were sent newsletters and videos that taught basic
parenting skills, nutrition, and family-centered physical activities. In
addition, Robinson and Killen offered separate classes to high-risk adolescents
and their parents. By focusing on positive behavior and feedback, Robinson and
Killen's study showed that children demonstrated healthy behaviors and enjoyed
being physically active. Robinson and Killen suggest that positive results
will occur if behavioral change is a part of early intervention.
Faith, Saelens, Wilfley, and
Allison offer an overview of past interventions and provide insight for future
prevention and treatment techniques. They explain that the most important
ingredient of successful intervention is parental involvement. Future
interventions must overcome environmental, family, peer, and child specific
challenges. Aiming interventions at the correct group of adolescents is
important to provide appropriate treatment for obese individuals. Genetic
research enables health professionals to predict which non-obese adolescents
will become obese, and prescribe, if necessary, the correct type of medication
for maximum weight loss. It is evident from this article that the prevention
and treatment of obese children will become more sophisticated and more precise
as technology advances.
The material in this book is
comprehensive. Graduate students and health professionals will find this book
to be an invaluable resource for current research in the assessment,
prevention, and treatment of body image disorders. Also, the anthology
identifies behavioral change as the primary source of prevention and treatment.
Behavioral change is a burgeoning research field in the health sciences. By
understanding how food preferences develop and the pressure that society,
parents, and peers place on good looks, it is easier to create and implement
effective interventions. Researchers and health professionals must understand
all aspects of these disorders in order to treat and prevent them; this book is
a tremendously useful guide for understanding eating disturbances in youth.
© 2004 Joe and Tiffany Ulatowski
Tiffany S. Ulatowski is General
Manager of The Plaza Executive Health Club in Salt Lake City, Utah. She earned
a Master of Science degree in Health and Fitness Management from American University
in Washington, D.C. She created and implemented a health education initiative
for children in Mississippi while working for the Baptist Memorial Health Systems.
Her research interests include the prevention and treatment of childhood
obesity and the psychological factors related to the development of eating
irregularities in early adolescence.
Joe Ulatowski is a Ph.D.
student in the department of philosophy at the University of Utah. His
interests include metaphysics and epistemology, particularly the philosophy of
logic, foundations of mathematics, and philosophy of science |
