15 November 2012 Gazette 15
Gazette
schools dail na nog: more than 2,150 pupils take part in survey
Body image matters emma storey, rosa barrell and fiona stinson Mount Sackville
A SURVEY was undertaken recently by Dail na nOg and aided by researchers from the School of Applied Social Studies in UCC on the subject of body image. T h e r e s u l t s we r e based on the answers of 2,156 young people, aged between 10 to 21. Mo r e t h a n t h r e e quarters of the participants said body image was important to them. The main findings were that those under 12 were most content
with their body image, and 15-year-olds were the least. It also showed that girls’ view their body image by comparison with others, whereas it’s bullying that most influences boys.
Activities More than half said their body image interferes with them taking part in certain activities, such as swimming. There was a higher percentage of girls than boys that exercised for their appearance rather than enjoyment. It’s clear that teenagers today have a poor body image. Drastic
action needs to be taken to alter the statistics of the survey’s results. A recommendation is to introduce a body image module into SPHE class in schools – this would promote self-esteem and a positive body image. Having noticed that bullying influences the way boys see themselves, it seems that it would be beneficial if schools were stricter on their anti-bullying policies.
Suggestion Another suggestion is to have a body image week, once a year, where everybody wears a stick-
er, on which they write a few positive things about themselves. This way, people will think about their body
image and pick out the good aspects. It should also raise confidence among the youth of today.
A survey on body image was undertaken by Dail na nOg and aided by researchers from the School of Applied Social Studies in UCC