The Daily Mail is reporting that a study conducted at the University of Arizona found that having a supportive family that provides emotional support affects the way young women view their bodies. Those with a strong network of family and friends tended to have a more positive outlook about themselves.

"It is particularly important for women to develop a sense of self-worth that is not solely based on appearance, and to build resilience to pressures they may receive from family, friends and the media," said lead researcher Shannon Snapp.

Snapp and her team surveyed 301 first-year female university students who were likely to be self-conscious. The outcomes suggested that family support and low levels of pressure to adhere to the anorexic body images so prevalent today resulted in women who had a more positive view of their physical appearance, and also their ability to handle stress.

As a result, researchers are recommending that prevention programs geared toward young people with eating disorders and negative body image should include ways to make them feel more comfortable with the often conflicting expectations placed upon them to be healthy, but as thin as a rail.

Past research has found that between 25 and 40 percent of U.S. students have eating problems or suffer from negative body image.

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