Eating Disorders Awareness Week
February 26-March 4, 2006

Purpose
Definition
Incidence
Causes
Signs
What to do

What is the purpose of Eating Disorders Awareness Week?

Eating Disorders Awareness Week is a national observance designed to enhance efforts to prevent eating disorders. This observance directs attention to the serious damage and consequences that eating disorders can have on a person's body and overall health. It also focuses on the emotional issues that can deprive people with eating disorders of a happy and productive life. The theme for this year’s observance is “Be Comfortable In Your Genes.”
Back to top

What is an eating disorder?

An eating disorder is an emotional and physical problem that is associated with an obsession with food, body weight, or body shape. Often, a person with an eating disorder diets, exercises, and/or eats excessively. These behaviors can have serious health consequences and can even be life threatening. The three most common types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Each type has its own characteristics and diagnosis.
Back to top

How many people have an eating disorder?

According to statistics from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), as many as 10 million girls and women and 1 million boys and men in the United States struggle with eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia. It is estimated that an additional 25 million individuals struggle with binge eating disorder. Although eating disorders primarily affect people in their teens and twenties, studies have reported disorders in children as young as 6 and individuals as old as 76. Research has indicated that 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat.
Back to top

What causes an eating disorder?

Although no one is certain about what causes eating disorders, experts suggest that a variety of factors may increase the risk. Eating disorders can arise from a variety of physical, emotional, social, and familial issues. The pressure that drives one toward an eating disorder can come from peers, parents, or from self-esteem problems of the affected person. Eating disorders also are common in people who experience depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other forms of anxiety disorders. Young people often develop eating disorders as they search for a way to cope with the physical and emotional changes involved in becoming a teen. They also may be influenced by media images of unrealistically thin teens. Athletes such as dancers, gymnasts, and figure skaters often are vulnerable to eating disorders because of the extreme pressure they feel to have thin bodies. According to a study by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 100 percent of gymnasts surveyed were dieting, 62 percent were using a method of weight control that was excessive, and 75 percent were instructed by their coaches to lose weight. Although specific data on the prevalence of eating disorders among athletes is scarce, athletes appear to be at increased risk for developing an eating disorder.
Back to top

What are the signs of an eating disorder?

People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight, causing them to eat very little, even though they may be thin. They may avoid mealtimes, pick at their food, weigh their food, track every calorie they eat, and/or exercise excessively. People with bulimia also have an intense fear of gaining weight. They, however, eat excessively and immediately purge themselves of the food by vomiting or taking diet pills, laxatives, or water pills. They also may exercise excessively. Those with binge eating disorder have frequent episodes of eating to excess but do not purge. Persons with this disorder eat whether or not they are hungry, usually alone, and often very quickly. Only a qualified professional can provide an accurate diagnosis of an eating disorder and prescribe an appropriate treatment that meets individual needs.
Back to top

What can be done to help people with an eating disorder?

Seeking treatment for an eating disorder is a personal decision. A person must want to address the problem and get professional help. Parents play an important role in this matter. They can provide their children with an environment in which to develop healthy eating habits and can help to change existing unhealthy habits. Parents also can teach their children how to identify hunger. Perhaps most importantly, parents can help their children to develop a positive body image, self-esteem, and appreciation for different body types. Teachers or friends also can help by expressing their concern in a respectful manner. However, they should be prepared with accurate information on these disorders before approaching an affected individual. Many organizations offer information, education, professional care, and support to help people with eating disorders. For some, finding help early can mean the difference between life and death. According to NEDA, 20 percent of the 8 million people who suffer from eating disorders will die. It is important for a person with an eating disorder to find help as soon as possible, so that he or she may begin to enjoy daily activities.
Back to top