A study of 7,000 German teenagers looked into their perceptions of their weight, their actual weight and their quality of life. Only about 18% of the sample were actually overweight, with 7-8% of them actually being underweight. However 55% of the girls and 36% of the boys thought that they were too fat. The children's quality of life was linked to their perception of their weight rather than their actual weight and this was particularly marked with the girls. Normal-weight girls who thought they were too fat had a reduced quality of life whereas overweight girls who were happy with their weight had the same quality of life as normal-weight ones.
You can find out more about this research at
http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/06/23/perception-of-being-fat-harm-teens/2486.html
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