Poll of nursery teachers reveals kids as young as three are unhappy with their bodies and ‘feel fat and ugly’
Survey also found kids had been seen to reject food at school or nursery because they were worried it would make them obese
KIDS as young as three are showing signs of being unhappy with their bodies, a poll suggests.
Almost a third of nursery and school staff said they had heard a child label themselves fat.
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Ten per cent had heard one say they felt ugly.
Nearly a quarter of staff had “seen signs” kids aged between three and five were “unhappy with their appearance or bodies”.
That doubled to nearly half for six to ten-year-olds in the poll of 361 carers at the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY).
One in five youngsters has been known to reject food for fears it would "make them fat".
Some of the evidence suggested four-year-olds were aware of strategies to help them lose weight.
TV and images in books are thought to be contributing factors behind the weight consciousness in youngsters .
Dr Jacqueline Harding, adviser to PACEY said more research was need in the area.
"We know early experiences matter the most and we need to be very careful how we signal to children to think negatively about the way they look."