Weight of Teenage Girls Affected by Perceived Social Standing

When I hear of “social standing in school,” nothing else comes into my mind but the series, Gossip Girl. Well social standings might just be important because according to researchers led by Adina Lemeshow of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, teenage girls who considered themselves on the lower rung of the social ladder were more likely to put on extra pounds.

This analysis is based on questionnaires completed by 4,446 girls, aged 12 to 18. The questionnaire included information on their height, weight, television, viewing habits, diet and other factors, including their perceived social standing in school. Girls who rated themselves four or below on a 10-point scale of social standing were more likely to put on extra weight over the next two years than those who said they had a standing of five or higher, the researchers explained.

The researchers findings suggest that low school subjective social status may be an important contributor to increases in BMI on girls over time and this was indeed proven on a check-up on the girls two years later. So, parents should make sure that their young ladies feel good about themselves and they should explain how they can do better by aiming for their academics instead.