Psychologist puts body image on national agenda

Kaddie Pass

A University psychologist was invited to Parliament House last month to share her expertise on body image and eating disorders with the nation’s leaders.

Dr Vivienne Lewis

22 November 2006: Dr Vivienne Lewis addressed a special forum of MPs and advisers on the topic, her research and clinical specialty, at the invitation of Chisholm MP Anna Burke.
“ I was there to remind politicians to be mindful of issues related to body image (people’s perceptions of themselves physically) and the impact this can have on people’s well-being,” Dr Lewis said.

“There are important messages about obesity and health that they have to get out, but they need to be mindful of not creating more body image problems in our Australian men, women and children.”

Dr Lewis told the forum body image was a significant issue for Australians and a negative body image had the potential to cause depression, anxiety and life-threatening eating disorders.

Negative body image (being dissatisfied with the way you look) is on the rise in men and schoolchildren and affects 60 per cent of women to the extent they display behaviour associated with eating disorders, such as fasting, purging, use of laxatives and obsessive exercising.

Dr Lewis said while obesity had to be tackled, there was a danger that campaigns used to counter it could stigmatise weight issues and exacerbate problems of body image.
“ We are starting to see this occur in our children where they’re frightened of becoming obese.”

“The audience was attentive and receptive to what I had to say and I think many of them were surprised to hear just how widespread these problems are.”
Dr Lewis added she’d be happy to speak at Parliament House again if the opportunity arose.

Ms Burke said there was little understanding of eating disorders in Australia and the national focus on obesity shouldn’t overshadow the problem.
“ This forum is the first step in putting the issues of body image and eating disorders on the national agenda,” she added.

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