Celeb role models setting bad example ofr Axe Valley students

AN EDUCATION welfare officer for the Axe Valley has voiced concern over the increasing number of young people affected by eating disorders.

Pam Tollett, who works at The Axe Valley Community College (TAVCC), has blamed celebrity role models and the media for the rise in teenagers suffering with bulimia and anorexia.

She made the comments in the wake of a national survey, which showed that one in 10 teenage girls was living on one meal a day.

Ms Tollett, a senior manager and lead inclusion professional at TAVCC, said: "Over the years, I have become concerned about the increasing number of young people - both boys and girls - whose lives are impacted by an eating disorder of some kind, the most common being anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

"There is no doubt in my mind that young people are hugely influenced by celebrity role models and images of the 'ideal' body as portrayed by the media.

"It is refreshing to see some emerging campaigns against this trend because, unless we teach our youngsters that people come in all shapes and sizes and healthy eating is the key, they will continue to feel pressured to conform to a certain body image."

She said at the college they work closely with health professionals and counsellors to tackle the problem.

They work with students who have low self-esteem and anxiety issues, which can lead to eating disorders.

The survey was carried out by the Schools Health Education Unit and found that most teenage girls believed they are overweight, even when they were not.

The poll showed that one in 10 girls aged 14 and 15 often went without both breakfast and lunch. ?