A poll conducted by SmartGirl.org, a Web site run by the University of Michigan, found that 58 percent of 745 respondents said they thought they should lose weight.
The average age of respondents was 15, with most falling between 11 and 19. Girls accounted for 737 of the votes..
About one third of respondents felt they were the correct weight, but only 14 percent were happy with their body size.
\We know that obsession with weight loss and dissatisfaction with body image are common among American women, both college-age and older, but it's very sad to see those same trends show up in this survey,"" said Alison Brzenchek, a health education coordinator for the University of Michigan University Health Service. ""These young girls, many of whom aren't even women yet, are already going down the same road, buying into the same diet mentality as their elders.""
Nearly two-thirds of respondents have tried dieting and a quarter have purchased diet pills.
