By Roving Reporter, Ashlea M
In response to the overwhelming concerns from teachers, the Greater Dandenong Community Health Service in Springvale has created a program to address the issue of negative body image and disordered eating patterns.
Program targets young women
The Girls on the Go program is run in participating schools in the local area and is currently expanding to other areas of Victoria with the aim to be working across 10 regions within the next four years.
Youth Program Manager Glenn Taylor says that hiding your eating, wearing baggy clothes and excessive fad dieting are all telltale signs of more serious health problems.
"We see a lot of girls who are withdrawn because they think they are 'fat'... the way they perceive themselves in comparison to other girls and the false impressions they get from the media cause their eating to decrease and their self-esteem to drop," Said Glenn.
With the support of the Butterfly Foundation, (new window) the Girls on the Go program specifically targets young girls, particularly in Year 9, who suffer with issues such as:
- Low Self-Esteem and Confidence
- Negative Body Image
- Inactivity in Sport and Recreation
- Weight Issues
- Disordered Eating Patterns
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Anorexia Nervosa
A common theme
A common theme has been discussed in the programs, which seems to be the core reason for young girls to develop such problems with their body image.
"Everyone wants to be accepted. Acceptance from peer groups is a big issue for these young girls," says Glenn, "We focus a lot on the media's influence as well, especially print media... anything that's airbrushed sends out a false impression."
Glenn, who also broadcasts a radio show specifically for youth affairs, says the program has had great success with all its participants.
"We run a survey at the time of the program, then we follow it up at a time after and we have seen invariable improvement. They are made aware of the limitations they set themselves, able to express and identify their goals and ambitions and share and learn in a non judgmental group who accept them for who they are."
While the program is only running in the Springvale area at present, Glenn is more than happy to hear from anyone who needs help and would benefit from such a program.
Don't let worries about your body image get you down or make you sick. Shoot off an email to Glenn at Glenn.Taylor@southernhealth.org.au to have a chat about how he can help.
Glenn discusses these issues further, along with many others, on his Thursday morning radio program, Youth Matters (new window), on 88.3 Southern FM.
