Principal investigator Adrian Schembri said researchers needed volunteers from across Australia to take part in the What’s Really Eating You project by filling out an online questionnaire.

“We are hoping to identify how often women struggle with fears of gaining weight or becoming overweight, and what factors contribute to these fears,” Mr Schembri said.

“The behaviours being examined include how often women try to avoid eating certain foods and whether they feel uncomfortable or distressed about other people seeing their bodies. “We’re also looking at body avoidance, where people actively avoid looking at their body in mirrors or reflections, often as a result of distress associated with body image dissatisfaction.”

Researchers hope to determine how these behaviours relate to the development of belief patterns that influence how women view themselves or how they perceive others may view them.

“It’s hoped that by examining these beliefs and associated behaviours, we will obtain a measure of the prevalence of women who may be susceptible to developing an eating disorder,” Mr Schembri said.

If you would like to participate, the online questionnaire is available at: www.rmit.edu.au/psychology/whatsreallyeatingyou

More than 1000 girls under the age of 14 suffer from an eating disorder in Australia and ten to fifteen percent of these kids are under 10 years of age.

Dr Sloane Madden from the Child and Adolescent Disorder Program at The Children’s Hospital Westmead in Sydney, told the Daily Telegraph:

“It’s a group we particularly worry about as with any younger children if they are starving themselves, they are affecting their growth.”

The celebrity driven trend to achieve a size zero (size four in Australia) figure is being blamed for the phenomenom.  Marketing fashion to pre-teens is also a contributing factor.  And it’s not just girls anymore.  Doctors are treating more boys for eating disorders in Australia.

Although I applaud the Daily Telegraph’s efforts to bring this alarming trend to light.  The newspaper can hardly point fingers at others when they publish stories like, “Diet Like Hollywood Stars” and “Hilary Swank’s Slimming Regime” on their website.