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由英國議會議員和基督教青年總會聯合發布的一份調查報告顯示，一半以上的英國人正因為體形不好而遭受精神和身體雙重煎熬，連5歲的小姑娘也時刻在擔心自己的體重，人們對體形的重視程度超過了對健康的關注。這分報告指出，由于受到媒體、廣告以及名人效應等不當影響，人們對體形和外貌的追求也日益趨向完美。自2008年以來，英國人做整容手術的比例上升了近20％，14歲的孩子當中有一半的女孩和三分之一的男孩都試圖通過節食改變體形。這份報告建議對健康專家常用的“身體質量指數（BMI）”進行重新評估，同時呼吁廣告商重視廣告內容的真實性和多樣性，不要一味使用數字合成的照片和過于瘦弱的模特。
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Liberal Democrat MP, Jo Swinson, leading the parliamentary group says body image dissatisfaction in the UK has reached an all-time high. |
Girls as young as five now routinely worry about their weight and appearance while more than half the entire UK population is grappling with mental and physical problems relating to negative body image, according to a parliamentary report published on Wednesday.
The pressure to achieve an unrealistic "body ideal" is now an underlying cause of serious health and relationship problems, according to a study from the all-party parliamentary group on body image. This pressure is "damaging society" by wreaking havoc with self-esteem and affecting progress at school and work.
The issue is no longer determined by gender, with body image now a major concern for boys and men as well as girls and women, the report concludes. Half of girls and a third of boys aged 14 have been on a diet to change their body shape, the document said, with youngsters exhibiting their parents' own anxieties.
The 80-page report was drawn up by MPs and Central YMCA, the world's biggest young people's charity, after a three-month public inquiry during which hundreds of witnesses made submissions.
It concludes that a toxic combination of the media, advertising and celebrity culture account for almost three-quarters of the influence on body image in society, yet the "body ideal" typically presented was estimated to be not physically achievable by nearly 95% of the population.
Among its recommendations being put to government, regulators, voluntary organisations and the private sector, are for the "inaccurate" and discredited body mass index – the standard measure used by physicians and health experts to determine weight status (underweight, overweight or within a healthy range) – to be reviewed with a view to being replaced.
The report also calls for better support for new mothers and school pupils, and a vow from advertisers to reflect "consumer desire for authenticity and diversity" rather than to use digitally-enhanced images and thin models.
Cosmetic surgery rates have risen by nearly 20% since 2008, "fuelled by advertising and irresponsible marketing ploys", the group said. It called for tougher regulation of cosmetic surgery advertising, including a stand-alone code along the lines of the one in place for alcohol. It also advocates an independent patient group which would give impartial information, advice and support on body enhancements, including cosmetic surgery, skin whitening, supplements and steroids.
Central YMCA will use the report's recommendations in a national campaign, to be launched in the autumn in partnership with several other organisations. It wants a kitemark to be awarded to socially responsible businesses taking action to tackle negative body image.
Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson, chair of the group, said: "Body image dissatisfaction in the UK has reached an all-time high and the pressure to conform to an unattainable body ideal is wreaking havoc on the self esteem of many people."
Rosi Prescott of Central YMCA said: "It's clear there's something seriously wrong in society when children as a young as five are worrying about their appearance, based on the messages they are seeing all around them.
"The findings of the report are shocking – body image has become more important in our culture than health and children are mimicking their parents' concerns about appearance.
"We all have a responsibility to act now to bring about the attitudinal and behavioural change that's necessary to prevent damage to future generations and that is why we are urging the public to give us their views to help shape the campaign we will be launching this autumn."
The report warns of weight problems spiralling out of control as "people who are overweight or obese were seen to be stigmatised and this was associated with a decreased likelihood of engaging in healthy behaviour such as exercise".
The inquiry was mired in controversy early on when women who claimed to have been failed by weight loss programmes sold by diet companies staged a protest outside the House of Commons to accuse the industry of "wreaking havoc with appetites and lives while it builds huge profits". It was organised by lobby group Endangered Bodies, which wants all body shapes to be considered acceptable.
On Tuesday night the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) said it backed the recommendation that a separate code be drawn up governing cosmetic surgery advertising. It has called for an outright ban on such ads in public places including billboards and public transport. The BAAPS also announced it is funding long-term research into psychological assessment of patients.
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(Agencies)
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
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