Aisling Irwin and Juliet Vickery report from the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Birmingham.

Children as young as eight years old are being influenced by their mothers' dieting, the British Association heard this week. At eight they already see dieting as a way of increasing their self-worth, said Andrew Hill of the Leeds School of Medicine.

He presented the results from a study of 180 eight-year-olds. They were asked questions such as: "If you eat too much in one meal do you try to eat less in the next?" All of the children were aware of the use of dieting to control weight.

Girls, but not boys, who thought of themselves as unpopular or unsuccessful socially, academically or in sport were much more likely to see dieting as a way of improving their self-esteem. Dieting awareness was higher in children whose mothers dieted but the dieting habits of fathers had no effect - suggesting gender stereotyping.

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"High awareness of dieting will almost certainly increase the likelihood of dieting later in life," said Dr Hill. His past work has shown that by the time children reach nine, some of those who are dissatisfied with the shape of their bodies are already dieting. Four in ten nine- year-old girls said they would prefer to be thinner; four in ten boys, however, wished they were broader.

Dr Hill said: "The most disconcerting aspect of the discrepancy between preference and reality expressed by girls is that it was in the opposite direction to their impending physical development."

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He said that the results were "deeply disheartening" but reinforce the sensitivities of eight-year- olds to adult issues. Discussion of diet, body shape and image concerns should start at home and in primary school, he added.