How can parents protect their children/teenagers from eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction?
You can help protect your children by enhancing their sense of self acceptance, self-esteem, and self-worth. Encourage them in strengthening life skills such as social skills and improved communication, including negotiation, assertiveness, and media literacy skills. Find ways for young people to experience success, achievement and purpose and develop resilience to cope with life’s challenges. Help your children value diverse body shapes including their own. In addition, help them appreciate what their body can do, not just how it looks. Importantly, foster a sense of connectedness with your child at home. This can be achieved through spending time together, doing activities together, having regular family meals together. As much as you can talk to your child, your non-verbal actions mean more. Think about your own attitude towards body image, appearance, weight, dieting and food.
