A growing body of work is beginning to suggest that schools are emerging as contexts, throughout which, wider health messages are being recycled and embedded daily. Collectively these studies have highlighted the impact of health discourse within physical education, which constitutes a focus on weight and the notion of health as a moral and individual responsibility. This has led to the development of physical education practice and policy, specifically designed to address health issues. Less is known however, about how young people read the current health messages that pervade the cultural terrain, and with what effect on their lives? Are they positive, or as our preliminary research has suggested, potentially damaging to the developing identities of vulnerable young people?

This paper draws on the voices of young women experiencing eating difficulties (Anorexia/Bulimia Nervosa), resident at a centre in the UK in 2005, in order to illustrate the ways in which they take up and practice these discourses circulating within schools. Although it is apparent that development of physical education policy, in-line with these health discourses, has attempted to improve children's lives, our analysis illustrates that their unquestioned acceptance is associated with guilt, control and monitoring of the body and food, fear, shame and failure associated with a larger body shape, lack of emphasis on the pleasure of movement and, consequently in some cases, the development of severely negative body-self relationships. From this it is concluded that an unthinking allegiance to contemporary health discourse within education, can have serious and deleterious consequences for students.

Citerank: (11) 348687More physical activity for kids within and beyond educational settingsThe introduction of compulsory physical education in schools is positive. However, greater promotion of physical activity outside of educational settings is also key to ensure any participation amongst pupils is not limited to school. Similarly, caution is needed to ensure that the promotion of competitive sport does not put off children less disposed to that sport. This could result in children either returning to or increasing their sedentary lifestyle.565CA4D9, 371553The health consequences of rising obesity are not clearAlthough the incidence of overweight and obesity are increasing, the health consequences of the increasing incidence are not clear.131CD6EB7, 371554Body fat's role in excess mortality and morbidity remains uncertain1198CE71, 371555Scarce health resources would be better spent elsewhereFraming obesity as a health crisis results in scarce health resources being directed to millions of people who are already healthy.13EF597B, 371558Different children have different contexts and needs Policy measures – and the messaging associated with them – need to be sufficiently flexible and intelligent across different contexts to reflect the fact that children's experiences vary widely and that many children are already physically active.8FFB597, 399554Scarce health resources would be better spent elsewhereFraming obesity as a health crisis results in scarce health resources being directed to millions of people who are already healthy.13EF597B, 399665Unintended consequences of anti-obesity messages to childrenResearch suggests that the anti-obesity health messages targeted at students can have unintended and deleterious consequences for the children.8FFB597, 399666Different children have different contexts and needs Policy measures – and the messaging associated with them – need to be sufficiently flexible and intelligent across different contexts to reflect the fact that children's experiences vary widely and that many children are already physically active.8FFB597, 399768More physical activity for kids within and beyond educational settingsThe introduction of compulsory physical education in schools is positive. However, greater promotion of physical activity outside of educational settings is also key to ensure any participation amongst pupils is not limited to school. Similarly, caution is needed to ensure that the promotion of competitive sport does not put off children less disposed to that sport. This could result in children either returning to or increasing their sedentary lifestyle.565CA4D9, 399994The health consequences of rising obesity are not clearAlthough the incidence of overweight and obesity are increasing, the health consequences of the increasing incidence are not clear.13EF597B, 400010Body fat's role in excess mortality and morbidity remains uncertain1198CE71

We argue that the very public attention on fatness as abhorrent, promotes selfmonitoring and weight management practices that are dangerous for children and young people. While some of this becomes evident in the prevalence of young people with eating disorders, we would also argue from our research that a preoccupation with being thin or not being fat is very common among young people. Food and activity become associated with the amount of 'energy in and out'. This approach, common in the cultures within schools and in school curricula and teaching about health leaves out the pleasures of moving competently, and the complexities of our relationships with food.