Teens in Balance - Tara Cousineau, PhD

Renewed Faith In Seventeen Magazine: Now Committed to Showing "Real Girls"

Summer has arrived, schools here in New England we are seeing clusters of teenage girls worshiping the sun.  It is with some releif that the school year has ended, in particular that the drama of my daughter's 8th grade dance is over. The "Social", in many ways, marked the end of their middle school social careers. That they survived emotionally is, of course, something to celebrate.

Yet, the pressure to conform or to stand out in some admirable way is still paramount when it comes to social events. Scouring teen fashion magazines, hitting the malls, begging for more allowance or more babysitting gigs to drum up the cash for manicures, up-dos, eyebrow waxes and tanning lotions, these teen girls were on a mission. And it’s expensive.

The 8^th grade guys, on the other hand, had it relatively easy: khaki shorts or neat jeans, and maybe a new shirt—untucked, of course—that cost all of $20. In truth the girls dress up for, well, each other—not the guys. That is clear.

One wonders why the pressure to look stunning at 14 is so extreme. It’s not like it's the prom. Yet, one has only to look at the fashion rags or Tumblr sites. A recent tweet on my daughters’ feed (which she knows I “spot check” from time to time) reads “the girls on tumblr >>> want to be them" or “Jealous of all the girls who can wear no make-up & still look gorgeous.” Really, honey?

But I was once a teen and so I get it. I really really loved my Seventeen magazines. I so clearly remember my favorite cover girl in violet hues that I spent an hour online trying to locate it (I found it on eBay as a vintage item!). It shows model Lissane Falk in braids with an innocence that would not grace a cover today.

A Step in the Right Direction

So unrealistic are the cultural standards for beauty now and so insidious are the consequences for some girls (e.g., unhealthy dieting, body image issues, depression, eating disorders) that bottom up and top down efforts are starting to converge. In June 17 international editors of Vogue committed to doing something about the unrealistic requirements for fashion models, including a ban of hiring models under age 16. Vogue editor, Anna Wintour, in her letter from the editor states (June 2012 issue):

“Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) with the support of Vogue announced its Health Initiative, which was created to encourage everyone in this country who works in fashion—editors, designers, photographers, and casting directors alike—to share the responsibility of fostering a climate where a vital and healthy physique is lauded and encouraged….”

And in  a curious defense of the industry, the editor goes on to write:

“Fashion has often been (wrongly) held up as an active agent in making women want to be excruciatingly thin, ignoring the complex genetic and psychosocial factors that contribute to eating disorders. Knee-jerk condemnation of many of the girls working today who are naturally blessed with slim bodies and exercise and eat well to maintain them is to be scrupulously avoided. So, too, is ignoring the way that obesity levels are rocketing upward, especially among the young, paving the way for all sorts of problems in the future. Making a stand with the Health Initiative signals renewed efforts to make our ideal of beauty a healthy one.”

It’s certainly a start for the fashion industry to commit to the health of their models, but if you look at the June issue of Vogue glorifying the physiques of Olympian athletes, one still has to wonder about what exactly is being promoted. It is but a rare few who reach elite levels in sports, just as it is the rare few who land in the pages of fashion magazines because they are “naturally blessed with slim bodies.”  Oh, to have models like Lisanne Falk again.

Teens are Demanding the Truth

More compelling and heartening are the efforts by teenage girls sprouting petitions demanding the fashion industry to make clear to readers that their spreads have been photo-shopped and to show “real” girls. Earlier this spring an 8th grader from Maine, Julia Bluhm, started a petition on Change.org entitled Seventeen Magazine: Give Girls Images of Real Girls, which reached 83,000 signatures in part due to some excellent media coverage. This inspired the "Keep It Real" challenge on Facebook which invited teen girls to post unphotoshopped images during the last week of June. The winner will be on a billboard in NYC. So succesful was this campaign the editor of Seventeen Magazine, Ann Shoket and her staff, committed to showing unaltered images of teen models. Two other teens, Carina and Emma, inspired by Julia's success are now petitioning Teen Vogue to do the same. (Vote here.)

Do Girls Need Warning Labels?

At BodiMojo, our teen interns have jumped on the voting bandwagon. And, we recenlty wrote about a 16 year old, Natalia Dinsmore, who started a similar petition (see BodiMojo interview) calling Fashion Industries: A notice which advocates truth in advertising, suggesting a warning label for consumers on the risks of exposure to unrealistic images of beauty. It’s a very compelling idea from a teenager and it’s with some good science to support it. According to numerous studies, exposure to fashion magazines and other forms of media can makes some girls feel terrible about their physical appearance and self-esteem.

How Can We Make our Messages Stick?

In our household we don’t have fashion magazine subscriptions. My daughter is already reading them at friend’s houses or viewing them on blogs. While this may be a band-aid solution, there is no reason to amplify the exposure of unrealistic beauty images at home (They haven't asked for the magazines, either).

It is not bad to covet the fashion media. After all, it is a source for trends that can help girls and women find their own sense of style or learn self-care tips that might not otherwise be taught at home. (Seventeen helped me discover my own style and teach me how to find makeup for my skin tone, after all.) But at the same time, girls need to understand that their beauty is about who they are and not what they look like. Seventeen just made a bold move.

I think I'll reconsider a Seventeen subscription for my daughters.

(A version of this artilce was psoted at BodiMojo.com.)

 

BodiMojo is on Facebook with My Mojo App for Teens

A version of this posted was oringally posted at Bodimojo.com/blog.

I haven't posted in a while because we've been very, very busy at BodiMojo.com.

First, we got some great results from our field test of BodiMojo.com used in high school health classes. Hint: Girls exposed to Bodimojo.com over one month improved their attitudes about their own body image compared to girls who didn't use the site, especially around how they feel about their physical appearance and in comparing themselves to others). Read more from Boston Globe blog post. Now we recrafting the girl interactive tools into a new "Girls Confidence" dashboard, and my teenage daugther and her friends have been helping out. Stay tuned for that this fall!

Second, we optmized the bodimojo site for mobile smaarthones, to now it's easy for teens to set  and update thier health goals. 

Third, we pulled some of our tools into a Facebook app.  Here's the scoop from our Bodimojo blog:

So what's mojo anyway? At BodiMojo for teens we consider it your personal charm, the moment you feel most fully yourself, comfortable, confident... no self-judgment. In the zone. Mojo is also the kind of feeling or state of being you want to share, kind of like paying it forward.  So we've gathered a few of the BodiMojo.com tools and packaged them into an app on Facebook: My Mojo.  Five things you can do once you "allow" the app:

(1) Take a mojo quiz. We've posted 4 quizzes in the app but have many more on bodimojo.com. Be sure to check out and share with friends.

(2) Visualize your mood with the Mojo Mood Cloud. Feeling freaked out, joyful, silly, emo? Tag your moods here! (The Mood Cloud is on main site and log in is required for all personalized tools).

(3) Send friends a virtual gift to boost their mood or cheer 'em on via email or post on FB wall. We have some cool animations created by our friends at Doink. The 10 teen winners of a recent contest created some awesome art, so support the artists and your friends at the same time. A win win! (DoInk artist, Syas, created volleyball girl.)

(4) Get a BodiMojo Snapshot into your health habits.  The app allows you to connect via Facebook to BodiMojo.com where you can get personalized feedback on your lifestyle habits. Just visit the My Page section where you'll find your "Health Mojo" -- nutrition, fitness, body image attitudes, stress and more. So instead of hearing the same old, same old about what it takes to be healthy, you get customized feedback. How refreshing!

(5) Once you're on the BodiMojo's My Page you can create personal health goals, and set up email or text updates, too. You earn points every step of the way. And there's lots more content to check out.

Of course, we want your feedback, too. Teens have helped shape the site and we want to keep working at it to improve your experience! Tell us on Facebook!

 

Did You Know?

• BodiMojo  was listed as Cool Site of the Day. Give us a Thumbs up! (And like us on Facebook!)
• BodiMojo was ranked in top five: 2011 Reader's Choice Finalist for Best Teen Websites
• Research shows BodiMojo helps high school girls improve body image, as noted in Boston Globe. And new confidence tools will be out this Fall just for girls. So stay tuned, girlfriends!

We need your help. Send teens our way to check out the BodiMojo.com and show us some love on Facebook!

Helping Young Teens Have Healthy Relationships

Today is Denim Day. 

No, it’s not Casual Friday. It’s a Wednesday, April 26, 2011. It's time to throw on a pair of jeans.

Well, ok. Everyday can be a jeans day for some of us, especially us techy shrinks.  But Denim Day marks a moment in the calendar year to raise awareness and to educate youth on sexual violence and teen dating abuse. The name comes from a legal case in Italy where a judge overturned a rape conviction because the female victim wore tight jeans to the court hearing.

I am not wearing jeans today. Instead, I dressed up for a luncheon hosted by MomCentral and sponsored by the Start Strong initiative, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in collaboration with the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF).  What’s significant about this program is that it is the largest funded national initiative aimed at preventing relationship violence and abuse among young people.  Its mission is to promote healthy relationship behaviors – among 11 to 14 year olds.

Teen dating violence is a major problem – and one that can extend into later relationships and have significant consequences for safety and quality of life. Maybe the most startling fact, even for those of us in the mental health profession, are the statistics that as many as 1 in 5 teenage girls and 1 in 10 teen boys have been physically or sexually abused by a partner (Journal of Pediatrics, 2007). A more recent study on 6^th graders reveals that half of the youngsters surveyed reported having been in a “dating” relationship and 42% report being victims of “dating” violence (Journal of Early Adolescence, 2009)

Whether you believe the stats or not it doesn’t take much to see that the sexualization of youth and violence in the media is everywhere, providing very poor role models indeed. Compound that with the astonishing rate of cell phone use and texting by tweens and teens today and dating harassment has found a new route.

Start Strong intends to foster a grass roots movement involving all stakeholders: teens, parents, caregivers, educators, healthcare professionals, domestic violence advocates, and community leaders. The goal is to build environments that support healthy relationships and prevent violence and abuse.  The gathering today evoked a lively discussion on how to begin a dialog with our children about these tough issues, and importantly, how do we model “healthy“ relationships that our kids keenly observe – in our own homes and with our partners, friends, and co-workers. Are we being mindful of our own relationships? 

Next week my 11-year-old daughter will see the movie. She informed me of this recently. I thought out loud: Is the last Harry Potter movie out already? No, Mom,  “The Movie!” she motioned with quotation fingers. 

Right.  THE MOVIE. The 5h grade puberty education session is coming up.  I previewed it two years ago when my older daughter endured it (one of my rants). It’s a disappointment: Abstract images of fallopian tubes, a sample of a tampon, and a really corny short film on female anatomy and sweat glands. I suppose, if anything, the disembodied nature of the presentation and the confusion it evokes might spur some parents to provide more clarity on reproductive health and personal hygiene. Some schools are now offering mother-daughter, father-son education sessions.

Now imagine if this 5^th grade education went beyond the one hour of puberty education and instead was extended over the course of the semester - and all of middle school years - to embrace what it means to go through puberty, what healthy relationships look like, and how to comfortably navigate the social jungle of adolescence? 

Start Strong is pioneering its program in 11 US cities.  We can only hope the success is immediate, so that all tweens, families and communities can benefit.

As for me, it’s time to put on some denim and tell my girls why. 

 

Resources:

• StartStrongTeens.org 
• National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline: 866-331-9474
866-331-8453 TTY
• BodiMojo: Helping Teens Make Healthy Decisions
• A Thin Line
• Love is Respect
• Act. MTV: Dating Violence Prevention Center

Initiation of a teen parent: harsh and swift

The initiation into teen parenthood was swift and harsh. Within mere moments of her turning 13 years old I became an embarrassment to my daughter.

Yes, an embarrassment.

Not longer the cool yoga mom with style, I am now shunned with glares that shout: “Don’t say anything to me.” 

The request to help in the kitchen or the do me a favor and grab my keys, for instance, are fielded with stomps and sighs and sheer dismissal.

Some older teen girls I know recently told me it passes, assured me that the Abercrombie uniform gets relegated to a middle school fad, and that the wigginess dissipates over time somewhat. Parents I know, and some fellow psychologists, claim that getting past the 16-year mark helps. (I’ve read many of the parenting books on the subject.) Maybe it is the new found responsibility of a driver’s license and more serious thoughts about college filtering in or that boyfriend that hangs around to get your good graces that begs better, kinder behavior.

You mean 3 or more years of this?

Recently, shopping for a baseball cap for her cousin at Lids in the local mall, I began chatting with the women in line trying to figure out whether to risk buying a cap her nephew might not like or getting a gift card instead. I chimed in casually – it was a wait after all. Next thing I know my daughter is flush red, does this full body duck-and-cover move as if we are being shelled, and shrewdly whispers, “Mom you are so weird, why are you talking to a stranger?”

Ok. Shoot me for being friendly.

Forget that I noticed what jeans she liked at the shop next door that appeared under the Christmas tree. I mean, right? (As she would say.)

Of course, this is classic behavior, and rather benign for the first  few days of official teendom, but what was a bit unnerving was my physiological reaction. The swish of bonding hormone oxytocin that circulates in your blood stream after having babies and keeps mothers in 24-7 nurture mode (and lasts until the wee ones leave home) – well, it was like an immediate drug withdrawal. I felt depleted, deprived, bruised, yet yearning for a glimmer of connection.

A flash flood. Lost in a parenthood puddle of loss.

I took yoga class the next day. I decided I can only go with the flow and try to institute a modicum of respect and rules at home to bid my time. Of course, if she tried yoga, too, see might understand why the bumper sticker I have on my dilapidated minivan reads: Namaste.

 

Eating disorders and the brain: A new direction for treatment?

Eating disorders are pernicious.  People suffering with anorexia or bulimia nervosa have the highest risk for death of any mental illness – from starvation or heart failure.  I move in and out the circle of researchers and clinicians treating ED patients or conducting research on prevention and intervention.  At this year’s conference of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) there were some very interesting developments.  Because I’m intrigued in the workings of the teen brain and adolescent development, I attended a talk: “The Neurobiology of Eating Disorders” by Walter Kaye, MD, and Laura Hill, PhD.  The intricacies of the brain systems studied are a bit complex, but here’s my takeaway.

The symptom of anorexia and bulimia are puzzling and often fraught with stigma.   For instance, the perception exists that anorexics may have a personality flaw, are willful in their restriction of food, or that there may be a parenting problem that is the cause of their child’s psychological issues.  So, patients just need to change their eating behaviors and work through their psychological issues, and parents need to change their styles, to get well.  If it were that easy!  But as we know, blaming the patient is not uncommon, even with the most biological of mental illnesses.

Eating disorders are indeed complex. Medications don’t seem to work that well. Yet, there are various characteristics that are fairly consistent and are more manageable with interpersonal, cognitive and family-based therapies.  These similarities are found in many patients and as such suggest some sort of biological influence.  With eating disorders, young women and girls (as well as boys) have certain characteristics that are apparent early on: childhood anxiety, perfectionism, obsessive tendencies, and a drive for achievement and self-control.  Add to this puberty, major physiological shifts, as well as psychosocial transitions – peer pressure, academic demands, media messages on beauty ideals – you have yourself the makings of complex syndrome that can persist over the lifespan.

What the emerging brain research suggests is quite fascinating and potentially important in the treatment of the illness. One of the mainstays of treatment is getting girls to a weight that reduces their risk for illness and death.  But eating food seems to have a neuro-physiological response of skyrocketing anxiety. Anorexics seem to have a blunted signal in the brain, almost like a “food blindness,” per Dr. Kaye.  The reward system in the brain that tells healthy people, “I’m hungry” or “This food tastes delicious!” does not work this way. Anorexics do not have “intuitive eating” and may never have this ability.  With both anorexics and bulimics there is an altered modulation of the reward and emotion systems in the brain.  Their emotional states get heighted with the prospect of food but their higher order cognitive functions go into an exaggerated state of self-control. Feeding causes anxiety. Staving oneself reduces it.  (Bulimics, one the other hand, seem to have a diminished inhibition for food that leads to binging as a way to reduce anxiety).

Here enters into the discussion Dr. Laura Hill, CEO of the Center for Balanced Living, in Ohio. She challenges us to ask: How might eating disorders be any different from childhood (type I) diabetes?  How do you think of that disease and the treatment of it? It’s clearly both medical and behavioral.  As a medical diagnosis, it also reduces blame on the child and the family. Perhaps we should consider eating disorders as a biologically-influenced illness.

From the psychological side – which is so potent in eating disordered patients, she posits that since the neurobiological system is thwarted but the cognitive side – decision making planning part the brain is in over drive – health professions should consider targeting that part of the syndrome.

Picture anxiety as a “noisy brain” with layers of noise that make it impossible to think or to calm oneself.  Dr. Hill demonstrated this with the high frequency sounds of a tape recorder while she was delivering her talk.  It was distressing to listen and concentrate as an audience member. Thus, her point was well taken.

People with ED are largely managing anxiety through food.  If these young women are so rule-bound and excel at following their own regimes for eating, then work with their fine-tuned ability to set the rules that will help them recover.  What does this mean in practice? It means when it comes to meal management and self-care, patients and families can plan meals where there are a fewer options rather than more. Do not give too many options or open-ended questions with the idea you are empowering her with choice, “Well honey, what carbs would you like to have today?”  This will spin her into anxiety and she’ll shut down from eating.

This is intriguing. It shifts the paradigm to one of hope.  It means bringing in the education of how the brain works into the intervention picture. This emerging research broadens the context for an illness that shatters many lives. It may be just one piece of the puzzle to the etiology of eating disorders, but alike all puzzles, each piece brings the bigger picture into closer view.

Mothers & Daughters: Can both be fans, groupies and admirers?

I had to chuckle when I read an article in the Boston Globe this week, It’s never to late to swoon, by Beth Teitell. The piece describes how moms and their teenage daughters go gaga over the same cultural icons, especially the young male talents, hunks and vampires.  The issue presented was that moms are vocal about it, leaving their girls mortified. 

Wasn’t it just the night before, sitting with my 10 and 12-year-olds watching the elimination of American Idol contestants that I remarked, “Well, that Casey sure is cute!” 

“Mom!” Both my daughters admonished. ”Well, I don’t think he should be in top 3! I’m sure it’s the teeny bops all over a America who are keeping him in the running because they think he’s cute, too!”  (All three of us wanted to see native Massachusetts contestant, Siobhan Magnus, on there instead.)

Teitell writes, ”A variety of cultural forces are turning women with crow’s feet into lovesick post-post adolescents.  For starters, the societal fixation with youth leads some people to believe they are still, in fact, young.” 

Not. 

 It’s not that moms are reliving their youth – although it is fun to recall those moments at times. I confess to buying some of my clothes in the junior sections of various retailers. It’s that parents and kids today are experiencing what youth expert Don Tapscott calls a “generation lap” in his book, Grown Up Digital.  This “overlap” is in part due to exposure to the technology, media and information available to kids that easily transcend generational lines.  In fact, in the digital medium, it’s kids who are the experts. “The implications are huge,” he writes. ”In some families, members have begun to respect each other as the authorities they actually are. This has created a more engaged dynamic within families. If managed well by the parents, this dynamic can create a more open, consensual and effective family unit.”  One good example of the convergence is how kids and parents alike appreciate songs by The Beatles. And, hey, didn’t American Idol have Bon Jovi perform last week as well?  (“They look as old as Dad,” was one remark). Or how about the resurgence of the Peace sign inspired by the 40^th anniversary of Woodstock that has infiltrated the fashion industry over the last year. (What comes around goes around?)

This lap is evident in our household.  Dad is a baby boomer, me (Mom) is Gen X, elder tween is Gen Y (a Millennial or Generation Net) and the youngest is Gen Z (also called Generation Next). That sort of covers a lot of ground.  When I heard my daughter crooning Journey’s big 80s hit, “Don’t Stop Believing” throughout the house for days on end, I just quietly giggled until it got unbearable. (I had to ask her to stop! That was a prom song in my high school days.) When you consider that the cast of Glee performed it on the season opener last year, what do you expect?

But here’s the thing about mothers and daughters today (or fathers and sons). It's not that moms are pining for their youthful days. Our daughters are enjoying and repurposing many of the same, classic cultural fodder we grew up with. I kind of like it. We don’t have to be “friends” or chum around – we can keep appropriate boundaries.  But we can also value certain styles and sentiments that make for a strong bond – and keep us youthful in spirit.

Brazen Barbie Persists After 50 years

When I was ten years old I gave all my Barbie dolls away to a young girl, maybe 8, who was on a visit from Europe. I had about a dozen of them in various states: broken off toes, unevenly cut hair, face make-up with magic marker. For some reason I felt sorry for the girl. The family was not poor; she had dolls. It was something else that was a bit off about her - an utterly shy demeanor, an unnatural awkwardness.

Years later the girl was diagnosed with a sever mental illness.The interesting thing about that episode was my mother'€™s reaction after the family had left. She was furious at me for giving away all my Barbies and the plastic pink suitcase containing all the gowns and accessories. "These will be worth something someday!"

I was shocked. I thought I had done something kind. But my mother was on to something. Barbie turns 50 this year (see pictures and timeline). The plastic doll has endured over the years in spite of the controversy Barbie elicits among feminists and eating disorder professionals. NPR (On Point with Tom Ashbrook) had a program about a book on the inventor of Barbie, Ruth Handler (the doll was modeled after a German sex toy) and covered the debate over whether the dolls are a positive or negative influence on girls. Barbie has been, after all, an astronaut, doctor, a business woman and a presidential candidate; she'€™s been black, Hispanic, blond and brunette. The fashion queen and runway model is but only one aspect of the doll'€™s remarkable capabilities and talents. Amy Poehler hosted a self- esteem program, Smart Girls at the Party, for girls sponsored by Mattel, the maker of Barbie, as part of the ongoing anniversary celebration.

I can'€™t say that I'€™m sorry I gave away my Barbie dolls. I just lost interest. I avoided giving my daughters a Barbie doll for all the reasons the feminists hate the doll (my girls received Barbies as gifts anyway), but it turns out my girls were more interested in American Girl dolls. But they out grew those flat chested, normal looking dolls around - age 10 as well.

As for the thin beauty ideal for women in the US? The images abound on TV, bill boards, music labels and just about every type of magazine cover whether it is fashion, fitness, sports or cooking. Teaching girls about normal weight, natural body shape, to dress for your body type, and how to be media literate is the best prevention against body image disturbance. But it still doesn'€™t stop today'€™s teen girls from wearing belly shirts and navel rings.

As for my long lost Barbies, I tried to find out how much they would be worth about 30 years later. I think the personal damage I created on them would render them worthless today. But if you have coveted and saved your dollies over the years, there is a website that helps you to determine how much your Barbie is worth.

Text Dirty to Me: Reactions to the Sex and Tech Survey

So the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl joined forces to sponsor a survey of over 1200 teens and young adults on how often they have posted online, or sent messages, with sexually suggestive content. And the results? Fairly often.  

Or is it really? I wrote about this Sex and Tech survey on another blog but have a bit more freedom here to focus on my personal reaction. Surveys like these are very important and hopefully the information derived can influence public health messages, school prevention programming and ideally, the behavior of hormonally raging teens with their cell phones and online profiles. Yet, I must confess that I found the study summary devoid of context and feel conflicted about the sponsorship. Ok, many teens are sending nude or semi-nude photos or sending sexually provocative flirtations with a disregard to the potential of exposure to many unintended recipients (like the whole 9th grade). Yet, the cultural milieu for today'€s youth is rampant with sexual images and the sexualization of ever-younger kids. Children under age five are exposed to dolls with belly shirts and low cut outfits and superhero figures bulked up to the max with exaggerated musculature. TV shows and movies abound for the under 13 crowd that are sexually explicit -- and continue to reinforce the rather boring fairly tale scenarios of the dashing prince rescuing the damsel in distress. Really, nothing much has changed thematically since I was a child; it's just that the sheer amount of media has increased and venues have multiplied. And there is little by way on the value of sexual health, maturity and enjoyment. Instead the public casts a judgmental eye and horrified cry at underage sexual acting out over the web and cell phones. The MSNBC interview about the survey has one of the sponsors remarking, "€œeven the nice girls"€ are doing it. (We'€™ve heard that line before.)  

Sponsors 

The National Campaign holds a very important mission to reach out to youth, parents and communities to educate about pregnancy and prevent unplanned pregnancies. That'€™s a tough calling especially given the recent political climate of abstinence-only educational programming -- a noble but unrealistic effort. Consider that the there was a recent spike in the frequency of unplanned teen pregnancies. I can understand why the Nat'€™l Campaign would partner with CosmoGirl, a savvy teen publication, to sponsor a survey. Kids would be more likely to respond to the slick verses the staid.

With that said, just take a look at CosmoGirl or its online version. It'€™s got sex written all over it. Or, it'€™s online blog called, The Daily Kiss. The daily kiss? What'€™s the underlying message in that title? Nothing against the blog itself -- the post on the Sex and Tech survey was chock full of links. The rest of the site is what you would imagine for contemporary teen fashion, fame and fluff. 

But here's the inherent conflict for me: if you want to reach teens you need to meet them where they are at. That means arriving at the doorstep of hot brands -- like the Abercrombie€™s, with poster size images of young lads with bare chests and girls with pouty lips. It'€™s tough line to tow for public health initiatives. But it has to be done.

A good read may lead to healthy lifestyle changes in overweight girls

I love behavioral health research with a creative design so I was pleasantly surprised when I was tipped off to Tara Parker-Pope'€™s piece in the New York Times this week, Healthful Messages Wrapped in Fiction.She reported on a Duke University study that basically had overweight tween girls (ages 9-13) in a obesity prevention program split into three groups: (1) one group read a Beacon Street Girls Series novel focused on the classic middle school angst around weight, feeling fat, being teased, and ways the character coped, (2) another group read an installment of the same series around self-esteem only, and (3) a third group did not receive anything.

The interesting results: Girls in the first group who read about the girl with the weight issues changed their behavior around eating and physical activity to be more healthy and thoughtful â€" resulting in a slightly lower BMI -- which, if apparently sustained for these girls, could mean growing into teenagers with a healthier weight. The second group also showed positive gains in healthy lifestyle habits although not as great; and the reading-deprived group showed a slight increase in BMI.

Of course, there is the question of whether statistical significance translates into clinical significance. But to me the important points were that fiction may a viable way to communicate to kids about healthy choices in scenarios that readers can connect to (rather than us grown ups and health educators stammering over and over again about eating your fruits and veggies). And, also that small changes -- early enough in one'€™s development -- could lead to sustained healthy habits to carry through life. Time will tell if the researchers follow these girls long enough.

(The study was originally presented earlier this month at the Obesity Society'€™s annual conference, lead author: Alexandra C. Russell, medical student, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.)

The second reason I was delighted to read the story is that I used to live on Beacon Street and when this series came out I was still living in Brookline, MA. The story hit the local press at the time and the shelves of Brookline Booksmith, the neighbor bookseller with the best guest writer talks in Boston area. I was impressed with the mission of B*tween Productions who created the Beacon Street Girls series. At the time I thought the books series was a brilliant idea. Now, with a daughter about to turn 11, this is a great reminder to start her on this book series (if she could stop reading the Harry Potter series again -- this time in reverse order).