These males are not trying to shed kilograms in the pursuit of the skinniest frame, they are more focused on ripped abs, bulging biceps and minimal body fat.

The eating disorder once referred to as reverse anorexia nervosa, now known as muscle dysmorphia, is on the rise, according to researchers.

"The problem is that every measure we have of disordered eating assumes the thing that is valued is a thin and skinny body. That's fine if you're only looking at women," researcher Scott Griffiths said.

"But it's not for men. Guys who look in the mirror and, despite being otherwise muscular, lean or fit, they see someone else," he said.

"They see pudgy or scrawny and skinny. They're preoccupied not with wanting to get skinny, but force-feeding themselves high protein, low carbs, taking steroids. They're preoccupied with not being muscular enough."

Mr Griffiths, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney's school of psychology, said society's eating disorder framework was not set up to cater for different types of eating disorder behaviour.

He has published research about males and eating disorders and will speak on Wednesday at a statewide health forum in Kiama.

Butterfly Foundation chief executive Christine Morgan agrees males struggle with body image.

"There's an ideal shape for boys. What they now aspire to is a buff, lean, six-pack look," she said.

"Girls start down the dieting path. Boys usually exercise then over-exercise, then they can develop muscle dysmorphia.

"They start increasing their protein, restricting their carbs. Then you put substances into the mix and you have trouble.

"When something tips into excessive then you're getting into really dangerous territory."

Latest research shows males are also struggling with "classic" eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa.

The prevalence of extreme diet and self-induced vomiting grew faster in males than females between 1998 and 2008, Mr Griffiths said.

"It's not a female problem and it's going to need to be treated like a human problem.

"Even when you look at males in isolation, purging, strict diet and bingeing in males more than doubled from 1995 to 2005. The problem is going to get worse before better."

Mr Griffiths said males were four times more likely to be undiagnosed than diagnosed.

"That's all linked to the stigma of seeking treatment," he said.

Mr Griffiths said mental illness was already considered by some men as some kind of failure.

"It makes it really hard for people to speak out. And that makes it really hard to do research."

Mr Griffiths works closely with the Butterfly Foundation and says the only way forward is for researchers, charities, support groups and other organisations to work together.

He and Ms Morgan will speak from The Children's Hospital at Westmead, being screened at Kiama Library's video conference theatre.

Call 4221 6757 to register.

BODY IMAGE FACTS 

Weight is too often over-emphasised when assessing the health and well-being of children, says University of Sydney honorary professor Jennifer O’Dea.

‘‘We are trying to teach children to have a sense of their own self-worth and the worth of others, not based around how they look but around their character and their uniqueness,’’ Prof O’Dea said.

She will speak at the forum on Wednesday to give primary and high school teachers and parents tips about dealing with body image concerns in children.

‘‘We want to teach our students that success in life is largely about what you do and how you live your life, rather than how you look .’’

Prof O’Dea, from the university’s faculty of education and social work, cautioned teachers and parents to ‘‘keep a check’’ on their own weight bias and prejudices.

‘‘People in Western countries are far too quick to assume that weight determines fitness and health. It does not,’’ she said.

‘‘You can be big and fit and that’s quite well accepted in the literature. Prejudices that fat people are stupid, lazy and gluttonous, they are not scientifically correct and just nasty prejudices, just like racism.’’

 Parents and teachers particularly needed to be careful,  she said.

Body image concerns from boys was also something parents and teachers needed to be sensitive about.

‘‘They’re quite often concerned about their weight. What you find is year 6 and 7 boys and girls become concerned about a bit of chubbiness when quite clearly they are just about to go into their growth spurt,’’ she said.

‘‘The concerns of boys is often about chubbiness, often about a lack of height and often about a lack of muscularity, and for boys you can teach them quite successfully about physiology.

‘‘You can teach them that first they grow in height, then width, and the last thing in adolescent boys is the muscle. They get it right at the end of their growth phase.’’

Prof O’Dea said teachers could have great fun  teaching students about diversity and acceptance.

‘‘We try to develop a sense of diversity from a very young age. Everybody looks different, they have different size and shape...our differences are what humanity is all about,’’ she said.

American football player Alan Foo was overweight at high school and copped a good dose of bullying because of the way he looked. It felt to him as if appearances were everything.

‘‘I was heavily overweight through high school and I started restricting my calories to about 500 a day, and then I dropped a tonne of weight really quickly,’’ the 18-year-old said.

‘‘Then I gained a lot again. I had body image issues for sure.’’

Mr Foo played around with his calorie intake, read up on weightlifting and managed to shift his focus from worrying so much about what he looked like to building a body that could help him excel at his chosen sports: American football and power lifting.

He doesn’t claim to have all the answers but hopes sharing his story at Wednesday’s youth health forum might help others.

‘‘A lot of kids these days are focused on building muscle and looking good. Celebrities, everyone is looking good, models, they all have huge pecs,  shoulders, washboard abs. It’s everywhere you look,’’ the university student said.

‘‘I want 12- and 13-year-olds at the gym who are lifting weights with horrible form, skolling protein shakes and not asking for advice, to know that it’s not right,’’ Mr Foo said.

‘‘Going to the gym, putting yourself under a weight bar doesn’t make you better than everyone else. You can look aesthetically pleasing but it doesn’t make you a better person and I want kids to know that.’’

Mr Foo also warns young people away from steroids and other illegal muscle-boosting substances.

‘‘I talk to kids who experiment with body building drugs and illegal substances like metabolism-boosting drugs...I have experimented in the past and I can’t confirm or deny that the results are amazing,’’ he said.

‘‘But I urge any of these kids who are doing it to stop. It’s bad for your health. Just give the natural way a shot for two or three years. You can get huge from eating naturally if that’s your goal.’’

For Mr Foo, focusing on football and power lifting has helped him put body image into perspective.

‘‘Have a goal, strive towards it but be safe about it,’’ he says.

Mr Foo will speak around midday.

For help and support call the national support line: 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or email support@thebutterflyfoundation.org.au