London, Aug 1 (IANS) British kids as young as five years are being treated in hospitals for being obsessed with their body image or simply because they want to turn slim.
The children are being treated for severe anorexia, an eating disorder characterised by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight, Daily Mail said.
Many idolise ultra-slim models and celebrities they see in magazines and on TV, and try to be slim believing they will look similar.
Statistics released by National Health Service (NHS) trusts underline that youngsters, particularly girls, are increasingly obsessed with being thin.
Experts warn that girls are now beginning to compare themselves with ‘size zero’ models and celebrities — when they are still at primary school.
The number of under-nines needing hospital treatment has doubled in the past year, the Mail said.
These represent only the most severe cases, where children have become so desperately underweight that their lives are in danger, it said.
There are likely to be many youngsters with milder eating disorders who have not been taken to hospital.
