An increased interest in body image (more specifically, becoming or staying thin) is a common trend that is increasing among children and adolescents. Previous research shows that the interest to become or remain thin peaks during early adolescence, particularly among females. PURPOSE: Because research on this topic is limited in younger populations, the purpose of this study was to examine the interest in weight control for a population of preadolescent children. METHODS: Subjects included 261 (122 female and 139 male) children from third (n=92), fourth (n=80), and fifth (n=89) grades. Average age of the participants was 9.5 years. The primary investigator met one-on-one with each child. Height was measured to the nearest centimeter and mass to the nearest 1/2 kilogram. Each child was asked if they judged themselves to be overweight (fat), underweight (skinny) or in-between. Also, each child was asked if they would like to lose weight, gain weight, or stay the same. Categorical data were separated through cross tabulation and significant differences were assessed with Chi-Square analyses. RESULTS: Average body mass index (BMI) for girls was 18.2 (just below the 75th percentile for age and gender) and for boys was 18.7 (the 75th percentile for age and gender). Thirty nine percent of all participants wanted to lose weight or remain thin. For boys and girls respectively, significant percentages 23.7% and 30.3% wanted to loose weight. Moreover, 33.8% and 43.4% of boys and girls respectively wanted to remain or become thin in spite of “in-between” self image ratings and normal BMIs (X2=19.742, p=0.001 and X2=16.418, p=0.003 for boys and girls respectively). No significant differences were noted between grades 3, 4, and 5 for boys or girls. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that preadolescent children are focusing on body image and specifically on wanting to become or remain thin. This is especially of interest as these children had normal BMIs and generally viewed themselves as having “in-between” body images. The data also suggest that while interest in body image may peak in early adolescence, it clearly begins for both boys and girls in early prepubescent years.