This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Lily Christon about promoting a healthy body image for children. Dr. Christon is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a clinical health psychologist at MUSC, working with youth and adults who have chronic health conditions.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Having a positive body image allows kids to feel confident and contributes to their self-esteem. Doctor Lily Christon is here to talk about helping your child develop a positive bodyimage, and als o how to deal with issues and challenges that may come up along the way. Doctor Christon is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and she's a clinical health psychologist at MUSC, who works with youth and adults who have chronic health conditions. Doctor Christon first, what are some of the body image challenges and issues that kids face today?
Dr. Christon: I first want to comment on what body image is, what we're talking about with that. And, it's really about our personal relationships with our bodies. It's how we relate to ourselves. It's a part of identity development. And so some of the challenges that kids face today are around how they interact with their environments and learn about their bodies. There's an influence from Western cultural ideals of thinness for those who identify as girls, and muscularity for those who identify as boys. One other big contributor to poor body image is pressure to live up to that type of ideal body type, and maybe feeling shame or other negative feelings when we feel like we're not meeting that standard. And kids also deal with pressures not only from the media, but family, friends, peer comparisons.
Conner: What is a good goal for parents to keep in mind related to body image for their child?
Dr. Christon: I think we can teach our kids to think positively about themselves and their bodies, and develop a positive self-image that does not hinge on appearance alone, really focusing on other positive attributes. And when we think about bodies, focusing on having healthy and strong bodies.
Conner: What can parents and caregivers do even at a young age to help children develop a healthy body image?
Dr. Christon: One thing we can do as adults, we are their best role models. And so really modeling body positive language, appreciating body diversity, encouraging physical activity for strength and health and fun. I think a great example of this is showing kids some of the recent Olympics and the amazing diversity of strong bodies doing amazing things. We can also reflect on the role of social media for our children, and really try to use parental controls and limit screen time and social media, and really developing a family media plan. There are some great tools online through the American Academy of Pediatrics to do that, if that's something that's of interest to your family.
Conner: And how can we talk with our child at various ages when some issues come up related to negative feelings about body image?
Dr. Christon: Sometimes things like teasing or peer comments happen. And, our most important response as parents is to make your child feel loved. You know, saying, I love you. We're going to figure this out together and work on a plan together is so critical. We also want to really reaffirm that teasing and bullying is always wrong. And this is not something that they brought on themselves. And we can also ask about how and when the discussion with either principals, teachers, other important adults in their lives would need to happen to help mitigate some of the challenges they're experiencing. At the end of the day, though, really spending time with your kid and really treating them as a very important person, very respectful towards them is really key.
Conner: Doctor Christon, thanks for this information about promoting a healthy body image for kids.
Dr. Christon: You're welcome Bobbi.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
