Youngsters in the age group of 12-25 years are using diet pills, fat
burners, fasting, resorting to self-induced vomiting etc. in order to
stay slim and look attractive, according to a study by Assocham.
“They are deeply influenced by modern lifestyles together with ubiquitous show of a perfect 10 figure and airbrushed faces in advertisements and pictures of ramp models, film/sports personalities etc. in newspapers, magazines etc,” says Assocham study.
Kids as young as 12 years old are resorting to severe dieting, consuming fat burners and protein shakes thereby developing serious eating disorders, according to the Chamber study. Study team conducted the survey in 10 major cities of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Lucknow and interacted with around 2500 young folks (almost equal number of males and females) in the age group of 12-25 years. The study was carried out during October 2010 to March 2011.
According to the Assocham Secretary General, D S Rawat, “an interesting aspect that emerged out of the survey was that youngsters in urban India feel the need to diet as they aspire to be thin and beautiful as cine stars, models, celebrities and feel that they will be popular if they are able to attain that ‘ideal body image’.”
Releasing the findings of the survey, Rawat said, “Today, even the kids are not off limits from the celebrity-driven trend of staying slim to look perfect and are dieting and starving themselves to achieve desired results. This trend is equally prevalent both in males and females.”
“This is likely to have an adverse impact on young people, especially females as they suffer from eating disorder and psychological problems like that of a distorted body image, sense of insecurity and a low self-esteem owing to fear of rejection etc. Parents tend to overlook the strange eating habits of their growing kids without realizing that this is robbing them off their childhood”, added Rawat.
Youngsters (12-25 years old) in Mumbai topped the chart with around 55 per cent of them admitting to dieting over three days a week and 35 per cent admitting to following a daily diet plan. Youth in Delhi –NCR ranked 2nd with 40 per cent of them admitted to dieting over thrice a week and 30 per cent said that they diet daily. Chandigarh ranked third where 25 per cent said that they follow a strict diet regime everyday and 35 per cent said that they diet at least 3 days per week.
Ahmedabad stood on the 4th rung with 30 per cent admitting to dieting over three days a week and 20 per cent said that they diet daily. Figures in Lucknow and Jaipur were almost equal as 25 per cent in said that they diet daily whereas 15 per cent respondents admitted to have been following a daily diet chart.
Majority of respondents agreed to following severe diet regimens but were ignorant about the fact that it was affecting their growth. Besides, Assocham study has revealed that youngsters obsessed with dieting are becoming anorexic by starving themselves relentlessly and are prone to diseases like depression, anxiety, insomnia etc.
While sharing their views with Assocham representatives, the respondents said that they feel worthless for being over-weight and constantly fear of becoming obese, that’s the reason they starve themselves to attain a lean look. Majority of them admitted that they exercise compulsively, often to the point of exhaustion to compensate for the calorie intake.
“They are deeply influenced by modern lifestyles together with ubiquitous show of a perfect 10 figure and airbrushed faces in advertisements and pictures of ramp models, film/sports personalities etc. in newspapers, magazines etc,” says Assocham study.
Kids as young as 12 years old are resorting to severe dieting, consuming fat burners and protein shakes thereby developing serious eating disorders, according to the Chamber study. Study team conducted the survey in 10 major cities of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Lucknow and interacted with around 2500 young folks (almost equal number of males and females) in the age group of 12-25 years. The study was carried out during October 2010 to March 2011.
According to the Assocham Secretary General, D S Rawat, “an interesting aspect that emerged out of the survey was that youngsters in urban India feel the need to diet as they aspire to be thin and beautiful as cine stars, models, celebrities and feel that they will be popular if they are able to attain that ‘ideal body image’.”
Releasing the findings of the survey, Rawat said, “Today, even the kids are not off limits from the celebrity-driven trend of staying slim to look perfect and are dieting and starving themselves to achieve desired results. This trend is equally prevalent both in males and females.”
“This is likely to have an adverse impact on young people, especially females as they suffer from eating disorder and psychological problems like that of a distorted body image, sense of insecurity and a low self-esteem owing to fear of rejection etc. Parents tend to overlook the strange eating habits of their growing kids without realizing that this is robbing them off their childhood”, added Rawat.
Youngsters (12-25 years old) in Mumbai topped the chart with around 55 per cent of them admitting to dieting over three days a week and 35 per cent admitting to following a daily diet plan. Youth in Delhi –NCR ranked 2nd with 40 per cent of them admitted to dieting over thrice a week and 30 per cent said that they diet daily. Chandigarh ranked third where 25 per cent said that they follow a strict diet regime everyday and 35 per cent said that they diet at least 3 days per week.
Ahmedabad stood on the 4th rung with 30 per cent admitting to dieting over three days a week and 20 per cent said that they diet daily. Figures in Lucknow and Jaipur were almost equal as 25 per cent in said that they diet daily whereas 15 per cent respondents admitted to have been following a daily diet chart.
Majority of respondents agreed to following severe diet regimens but were ignorant about the fact that it was affecting their growth. Besides, Assocham study has revealed that youngsters obsessed with dieting are becoming anorexic by starving themselves relentlessly and are prone to diseases like depression, anxiety, insomnia etc.
While sharing their views with Assocham representatives, the respondents said that they feel worthless for being over-weight and constantly fear of becoming obese, that’s the reason they starve themselves to attain a lean look. Majority of them admitted that they exercise compulsively, often to the point of exhaustion to compensate for the calorie intake.
