Teen Girls More Concerned About Healthy Eating – More Critical Of Lapses.

As concern over youth obesity continues to grow, new research findings from The TRU Study suggest that girls are more willing to deprive themselves in the name of health, and they’re also more apt than guys to judge their perceived failings harshly.

Most teens seem to understand the importance of healthy eating; two-thirds (67%) say they try to eat healthy, and more than half (57%) say they watch their weight. Still, another 57% admit they eat too much junk food.

In an encouraging sign, the research, based on the nationally projectable TRU Study® from Chicago-based Teenage Research Unlimited, finds that the overwhelming majority of teens (92%) claim to know which foods are healthy to eat—a percentage that’s highest among 18- and 19-year-olds. What’s more, 81% of 12- to 15-year-olds say their parents encourage them to eat healthy foods. But when it comes to following through, significantly more girls (72%) than guys (63%) say they try to eat healthy “even if it’s not always easy.”

Similarly, the majority of girls (66%) say they watch their weight, while less than half of guys (49%) say they pay attention to the scale. It’s interesting to note that although 44% of teens report avoiding high-fat foods, significantly fewer 16- and 17-year-olds do so. This finding may reflect the fact that new drivers find themselves lured by ever-present fast-food drive-thru windows.

If girls appear more concerned about weight issues than guys, they’re also more critical of their perceived failings, according to Rob Callender, Trends Director at Teenage Research Unlimited.

“One revealing finding from The TRU Study is that significantly more girls than guys claim they eat too much junk food,” Callender says. “In reality, our consumption data clearly shows that girls eat candy and salty snacks more sparingly than do guys. Girls are simply tougher on themselves when it comes to what they eat.”

Callender notes that although size issues are a sensitive topic for many teens, there’s a welcome movement toward addressing obesity solely as it pertains to medical implications. The advent of more realistic models in mainstream advertising is more a recognition of this trend than a harbinger, Callender says.

“It’s true that the teen years are often characterized by immense self-consciousness,” Callender says. “Still, TRU research on the topic of weight and body image has revealed that teens are increasingly making clear distinctions between size and beauty. Many teens who are considered overweight according to standardized metrics consider themselves healthy and acceptably proportioned.”

The research is based on the responses of more than 2,000 demographically representative 12- to 19-year-olds. The TRU Study is the largest of its type, surveying teens on attitudes, values, lifestyles, consumer behaviors, and trends. Last year, TRU conducted 1,000 focus groups and ethnographies, in addition to numerous quantitative studies. Over the past 23 years, TRU has interviewed close to one million teenagers.