Children as young as eight who are taller, bigger and more physically developed than their peers are more vulnerable to poor body image, a new Victorian study has found.
More than 1100 children in Melbourne took part in the study published on Tuesday in the Journal of Adolescent Health, which found a link between hormones and body satisfaction in pre-pubescent children aged eight and nine.
Lead researcher and Murdoch Children's Research Institute research fellow Elizabeth Hughes, measured body dissatisfaction with eight body silhouettes of children from very thin to very obese.
"Basically the higher the level of hormones, the more unhappy the children were with their body size; however children with heightened levels of hormones also tend to be taller and heavier than their peers, and this could be the cause of their poor body image," Dr Hughes said.
"It may be that children who are taller, heavier and more physically mature, feel more conspicuous amongst their peers."
The research calls for positive body image strategies to be in place at home and school to help children.
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