Heather Bellamy spoke with Bill Stevenson, the director for Scotland for the Boys Brigade, about how boys are affected by the issue of body image, as well as girls.

A new survey from the Credos think tank has found that the perfect body image is an issue for guys as well as girls. Of more than 1,000 eight to 18 year old boys polled, 56 per cent believed that eating disorders were an issue for both boys and girls, 23 per cent said they believed there was a perfect male body and 48 per cent saw extreme exercising as a gender-neutral issue. Heather Bellamy spoke with Bill Stevenson, the director for Scotland for the Boys Brigade about the issue.

Heather: Is the perfect body image a problem for the boys you work with?

Bill: We haven't seen particular problems, but it is obvious that boys are far more aware of their image. Quite often on Facebook or Twitter, you'll see boys posting a picture of themselves in the gym, or something like that. All young people seem to be more aware of body image now.

Heather: Working with young guys, what have you found they believe is the perfect male body?

Bill: It's different for different guys. Some of them are into rugby, so they like the big rugby player image. Other guys are more into football and David Beckham is a role model for some young people. They like his image. I don't know if it's necessarily always about your body and being muscular. Sometimes it's about your clothes and other parts of the image as well.

Heather: Where are the influences coming from that are shaping the idea of what a perfect male body is?

Bill: It's coming a lot from the media and advertisers. You're always seeing posters with models like David Gandy. They seem to be plastered all over the place now. Young people see those images and think that's what I want to try and be like.

Heather: Do you think bullying contributes pressure to guys in this? Bullying over what their bodies are like and what they look like?

Bill: Yes, to a certain extent. Interestingly, alongside some who are interested in body image, in Scotland, we've got a big problem with obesity as well. Folk are more likely to get teased at school if they are a bit overweight, so you've got two sides of the spectrum.

Heather: That raises an interesting point. When does it cease being a pursuit of a healthier lifestyle that is actually good, because we all should exercise and eat healthily? When does it become a problem?

Bill: When it becomes an issue to that young person. In the Boys Brigade we really strive hard to try and build rounded personalities. We're very big on sport. In a lot of our groups in the Boys Brigade we will do a lot of sporting competitions, whether that's swimming, running, cross country, or football. When people start getting obsessed, that is when there is a problem. In my time as a Boys Brigade leader, I've seen young men who were obsessed with exercising every day. They won't rest and they just want to be working away in the gym all the time. It's like all these things, when it becomes obsessive and people are spending a vast amount of time on it, that's when there are issues.

What we try to do, is get across to young people that you want to try and have a balanced lifestyle. It's not good not to exercise at all, but it's also problematical if you exercise too much.

Heather: When it becomes obsessive, does that affect their emotional and mental health and relationships?

Bill: Yes, because often they'll get themselves in that particular zone and then that's all they want to concentrate on. They don't spend so much time studying, or other things that they should be doing. I think the idea of having a balanced lifestyle is a more positive model.