Nearly half of Suffolk young people worry about their appearance survey finds
The survey is used to help implement better support across Suffolk
Almost half of young people in Suffolk say they worry about how they look on most days, according to new research by Healthwatch Suffolk.
Luke Bacon, Research and Business Development Officer at Healthwatch Suffolk, said the findings come from the organisation’s annual “My Health, Our Future” survey, which gathers feedback from secondary school and college students across the county.
“What we do is a yearly piece of research called My Health, Our Future,” he said. “It's been commissioned since 2017 by the local NHS to support schools and health services to better plan for and meet the needs of children and young people.”
The survey focuses on young people aged 11 to 19, or up to 25 for those with special educational needs who remain in further education. Since it began, Healthwatch Suffolk has collected responses from more than 80,000 young people.
Bacon said. “The focus is on early intervention and prevention, understanding what's important to young people about their lived experience.”
Survey results
In the most recent survey, conducted in 2024, more than 8,000 young people were asked how often they had worried about their appearance in the previous month.
“Forty-five per cent said that they worried about the way they looked nearly every day, or more than half the days,” Bacon said. “That seems like quite high levels of concern about body image amongst young people.”
The data also shows that body image concerns are affecting everyday life and behaviour.
“Twenty-three per cent said that their view of their body image had prevented them from socialising with friends or family,” he said. “That sounds like quite a barrier and quite an impact.”
Exercise and physical activity were also affected.
“Twenty-one per cent said that their view of their body image prevented them from taking part in physical activity,” Bacon said. “That's really important when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and as a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing.”
He said the findings highlight how concerns about appearance can limit young people’s ability to participate fully in daily life.
“It's very worrying that actually we've got young people telling us that their view of their body is preventing them from being able to live a fulfilling life,” he said.
Bacon also highlighted some of the limitations of survey-based research, noting that it cannot always show the full picture behind the data.
“One of the limitations of a survey is that you can't tell the direction of the relationship between two questions,” he said. “Because I don't have someone in front of me to speak to them.”
What the results mean
He added that understanding the wider context behind the figures is important.
“The context of how young people are feeling about their body and their eating habits is really important for the conversation,” he said.
Bacon encouraged young people and families who are concerned about eating disorders or mental well-being to seek support.
“If you're worried about the impact of eating disorders on you or someone else, it's really important to reach out and get that support,” he said.
He outlined several local and national support options available in Suffolk.
“You can visit your GP. Anything you talk about with your GP is confidential,” he said. “You can also contact the Emotional Wellbeing Hub in Suffolk for young people, or Just One Number for Lowestoft and Waveney.”
He added that national charities and online services are also available.
“There’s support from Beat Eating Disorders charity, including one-to-one web chat,” he said. “There’s also online counselling and peer support from Kooth.”
Support available
Help for eating disorders can be found here...
Beat Eating Disorders (National Charity)
Beat provides specialist support, helplines and online resources for people affected by eating disorders and their families.
- Helpline: 0808 801 0677
- Student line: 0808 801 0811
- Youth line (under 18s): 0808 801 0711
- Website: beateatingdisorders.org.uk
NHS GP Services
A GP can refer patients to specialist NHS eating disorder services. Early support can significantly improve recovery outcomes. Appointments can be booked directly through local GP practices.
- NHS 111: Call 111 for medical guidance and mental health support, for urgent advice when a GP is unavailable.
Shout Crisis Text Line
A free, confidential 24/7 text service for anyone in emotional distress.
- Text SHOUT to 85258
Samaritans
Available 24/7 for anyone struggling with emotional distress or suicidal thoughts.
- Call 116 123
- Website: samaritans.org
A&E / Emergency Services
If someone is in immediate danger, severely unwell, or at risk of harming themselves, call 999 or go to the nearest A&E department.