Childhood is the time for many things, but worrying about weight isn't one of them.
It is, however, a good time to teach children to have a healthy body image.
To that end, therapist Kathy Kater of St. Paul, Minn., has developed a curriculum for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students called "Healthy Body Image."
As a licensed independent clinical social worker, Kater treats teens and adults who have life-threatening eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (restricting food intake) and bulimia (purging by vomiting or using laxatives).
"About five years ago, I became frustrated that we've made progress in understanding and treating eating disorders, but we have not made much progress in preventing these problems," she said.
She took action.
The curriculum she developed for grade-school children includes 11 lessons to teach them how appearance changes as bodies develop.
"One of the main reasons I developed it for that age group is that most children at that age are still comfortable with their bodies," Kater says.
"They are very eager to understand and learn about body shape and size. The lessons are adaptable for other ages, but by the time kids are in the seventh and eighth grades, they are too close to it. They don't want to hear about it."
Lesson topics include:
A historical perspective on American body image attitudes.
Understanding normal weight gain during puberty.
The genetic diversity of body shapes and sizes.
The dangers of dieting.
Incentives for healthy eating and active lifestyles.
Thinking critically about media messages on appearance.
How to resist unhealthy cultural pressures regarding weight and dieting.
The program presents information through games and activities.
For instance, Kater says, a lesson on why dieting affects appetite requires the children to go on an "air diet."
It's to teach them that when a person severely cuts back on his food, his body reacts by craving more food.
The children breathe through a straw while holding their noses shut.
During the exercise, the teacher reads them a story.
All the while, they are breathing through their straws, which limits how much air they get but provides them enough to survive.
"After a while," Kater says, "the kids become fidgety and uncomfortable."
Then the teacher tells them they can quit the air diet. "Of course, then they are gasping, gulping for all the air they can get. This is exactly what happens when you restrict your food intake."
A lesson on genetic influences on body shape and size allows the children to do a "genetic family history."
The children draw pictures of themselves and their relatives.
"The whole point is to help kids understand that body size and shape is predisposed and they aren't going to have complete control. This counters the way the media presents that you can control the body size and shape you have."
Kater says teachers who have used the curriculum report that the kids are very excited about it. Teachers have told her that some students don't want to interrupt the lessons even for recess.
"Healthy Body Image" approaches the issue of parental influence on a child's attitude about appearance and weight by sending home handouts for parents to read with their children.
"This may not cause parents to have a change of heart or change their behavior," Kater says, "but they may at least become a little more discerning and discreet about what they say and do."
"Healthy Body Image" is available from Eating Disorders and Awareness Prevention Inc. for $65, plus shipping and handling. Call (206) 382-3587.
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