Teens of normal weight who think they are too fat are less happy than are obese teens who think their weight is normal, according to a study of 7,000 German teenagers.

The researchers believe that anti-obesity campaigns may actually be harming normal weight teens by making them feel insecure and unhappy about their bodies, thus causing them to develop eating disorders.

About 55 percent of the girls and 36 percent of boys who were surveyed believed they were too fat, although only 18 percent were actually overweight. The teens of normal weight who thought they were too fat suffered from low self-esteem and an "enormously impaired quality of life," the study's authors wrote.

Among teens who were obese, 60.6 percent of girls and 32.2 percent of boys said they were "far too fat." Obese girls had the most health issues, such as elevations in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. The girls also had more self-esteem issues than the boys did, although obese boys had the fewest number of friends compared to all groups.

The teens in the study who actually were obese reported a higher quality of life than did those who mistakenly saw themselves as fat.

This study appeared in the June 6, 2008, edition of Deutsches Aerzteblatt International.

Labels: body_image, self-esteem, self-image_issues