Sixty percent of fourth and fifth graders have tried dieting. Eating disorders can start as early as the seventh grade. And, for many young girls, the disorder can become a chronic illness.
To battle the problem, SMU created a program for girls ages 10 and 11. The non-profit Girls in Motion, begun last fall, aims to help girls feel good about their bodies and teach them about healthy eating and lifestyle choices.
“This type of program addresses both the psychological and physical needs of these young girls in an effort to protect them from the trauma of an eating disorder,” said Camille Kraeplin, a journalism professor at SMU who researches the media and body image.
Girls in Motion runs for eight weeks and pairs together young girls with college-age women in a one-on-one mentoring program. The next session starts on Feb. 16 with girls from Dallas elementary schools.
The girls exercise, talk about nutrition and have a healthy snack during the one-hour sessions. They also set appropriate fitness goals, which they try to meet by the end of the eight-week session.
Participants start their sessions with a warm-up game and then spend at least 30 minutes exercising and talking with their mentors.
“I can actually see before my eyes, these girls opening up and telling their deepest secrets, stuff they would not even tell their mothers,” said Elizabeth Chappell, a marketing major at SMU who works as a mentor.
The program also asks parents to attend two workshops, “Instilling a Positive Body Image in Your Daughter” and “Healthy Eating Attitudes and Behaviors.”
Girls in Motion is funded by SMU’s Elisa Ruth McCall Memorial Endowment Fund. McCall was a 20-year-old college student who committed suicide after battling bulimia. Although she did not attend SMU, her parents started the endowment here in her name.
The goal is to help the girls understand what healthy eating and exercise are in the hope that the girls never succumb to an eating disorder, said Mandy Golman, executive director of the program and a wellness instructor at SMU.
Elon University in North Carolina plans to start its own Girls in Motion this year, Golman said.
Chappell said she prepares for her work with the girls by reviewing information about eating disorders, exercise and healthy habits that Golman sends her prior to each week’s session.
“It is usually very informative and has a lot of statistics, so if the girls ask a question, we will know how to respond,” Chappell said.
The program helps encourage positive self-esteem, said Cathey Soutter, a Girls in Motion co-founder and a counseling psychologist at SMU.
“The program promotes resiliency in young girls as they hit puberty,” she said.
Young girls need to know that they don’t have to buy into the media images they’ve been subjected to for most of their lives, according to Kraeplin.
“Statistics make it clear that our society subjects them to the beauty myth at a ridiculously early age,” she said.
