Irish teens dieting for love, says survey

20/07/2005 - 08:39:21
Many teenage girls in Ireland are going on crash diets because they believe it will bring them love and happiness, according to survey conducted by the University of Ulster.

Around 400 girls aged between 14 and 16 were questioned as part of the study.

About 80% of them said it was important to be slim to attract the attention of boys and achieve self-confidence, while 49% said they had dieted to lose weight.

Almost half of respondents also thought themselves overweight even though visual observation indicated they were not.

The research found teenage girls know in details of the diets of celebrities like Britney Spears and Posh Spice after reading about them in teenage magazines.