Capital's girls 'obsessed with weight'

Almost half of the young teenage girls in London are trying to lose weight, it emerged today.

A major new study also raises serious concerns about the health of girls as young as 11 in the capital.

They are more than twice as likely as girls living elsewhere to suffer from emotional problems such as depression and low self-esteem.

Many admit they regularly skip meals in their desperation to achieve a slim figure but they continue to pile on the pounds because their daily diet is so poor.

The findings follow a study involving almost 3,000 youngsters from 28 schools. The results offer a detailed insight into the health of London's teenagers, covering areas from nutrition and exercise to drug-taking, alcohol consumption and mood.

While only 30 per cent of girls aged 13 and 14 thought they were genuinely overweight, almost half admitted they were trying to slim - suggesting a large proportion are dieting without good reason.

Researchers at Queen Mary, University of London, found a worrying proportion of younger girls unhappy with their figures, with a fifth of those aged 11 and 12 saying they felt overweight.

Just under a third of girls aged between 11 and 14 admitted they hardly, or never, eat breakfast - either because they are in a hurry or are trying to slim.

Their desperation to achieve the slender figures of celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow appears to be taking a devastating toll on their emotional well-being - with a worrying proportion suffering from psychological problems.

The number of girls aged 11 and 12 in inner London who suffer from emotional problems is more than twice the national average, standing at 16 per cent.

The problem becomes even worse as they grow older, with 18 per cent of those aged 13 and 14 suffering from emotional problems - three times the national average for their age.

Professor Robert Booy, at the university's Centre for Child Health, said: "It is a real worry that these girls seem to be having so many issues with their weight and body image. It appears to be affecting their overall well-being - they have very high levels of emotional disorders. Many are unhappy, are lacking in self-confidence and feel very low."

Despite their efforts to lose weight, 22 per cent of the girls were still clinically obese compared with 15 per cent elsewhere in Britain.

Boys did not fare much better, with 20 per cent ranking as obese.

The girls' weight problems are likely to be linked to their deep reluctance to exercise.

The study reveals that by the age of 13, a quarter of girls living in inner London are either taking no exercise or exercising only once a week.

Their attempts to keep fit are far poorer than the national average for their age group - with just 16 per cent of girls in the rest of Britain taking such limited exercise.

Today, experts warned that the number of celebrities living and working in the capital, and the level of media attention they receive, was putting adolescents in London under intense pressure to look slim and glamorous.

Psychologist Dr Cynthia McVey said: " London is Britain ' s grooviest city and is where all the catwalk shows, theatre and film premieres take place. It is the centre of media and celebrity and that is putting girls under huge pressure. They want to be like the stars they see on television or even on the streets but often they are chasing an impossible image.

"Even when they successfully lose weight, they are not happy because the weight comes off their chests and then they want breast surgery."

The study involved pupils from schools in Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham.

Encouragingly, rates of smoking, drinking and drug-taking among the teenagers were lower than the national average. However, only 73 per cent of the youngsters described themselves as in very good, or good, health compared with 90 per cent of youngsters nationally.