Parenting Pointers: Eating Disorder Awareness

Four in 10 Americans have either suffered from or know someone who has suffered from an eating disorder, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. During National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 26-March 3), Eating Recovery Center, an international center for eating disorders recovery, highlights eating disorders’ pervasive impact on Americans of all ages and genders.

“A classic misconception of eating disorders is that they are a teenage girls’ disease, when in fact, we are seeing more older women, younger children and men of all ages entering treatment,” said Kenneth L. Weiner, MD, FAED, CEDS, founding partner, chief executive officer and chief medical officer of Eating Recovery Center. “Genetic risk factors and environmental triggers for these diseases don’t discriminate based on age or gender.”

The 2012 National Eating Disorders Awareness Week theme is “Everybody Knows Somebody,” which is truer now more than ever, as eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction continue to experience what experts term “epidemiological drift,” which is marked by a condition’s swift growth in incidence in new populations.

- Older women: Eating Recovery Center has seen a marked increase in older women seeking treatment for eating disorders. From 2010 to 2011, admissions of women over the age of 30 increased from 27 percent of total admissions to 33 percent of total admissions. In the same timeframe, admissions of women over the age of 40 increased from 13 percent of total admissions to 15 percent of total admissions.
- Men: A recent British study shows that more than 80 percent of men regularly engage in conversation about their bodies, that three in five men are unhappy with their muscularity and that more than one-third of men would trade a year of their life to achieve their ideal body weight or shape.
- Younger children: From 1999 to 2006, hospitalizations for eating disorders increased sharply – 119 percent – for children younger than 12 years of age, according to recent analysis by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Eating Recovery Center encourages individuals to quickly respond if they notice troubling food- or body image-oriented behaviors in their loved ones, regardless of age or gender. Eating disorders recovery is entirely possible with early intervention and proper treatment from qualified professionals.

If you notice troubling behaviors in an adult friend or loved one, find a quiet time and place for a private, respectful meeting to discuss your concerns; and ask if he or she has considered whether or not he or she may have an eating disorder. While you continue to express your support, offer to help your friend or loved seek treatment.

If you notice troubling behaviors in your child or adolescent, engage your child in conversation and speak to what you have noticed instead of making accusations; visit a medical provider if you are concerned about your child’s physical health; and identify a mental health provider for an eating disorders assessment.