What is Eating Disorders
PreventionWhat is Eating Disorders
PreventionPrimary prevention—programs that are designed to prevent the occurrence of the eating disorder before it begins, in order to promote and sustain healthy development
Secondary
prevention—designed to facilitate identification and correction of an
eating disorder in its early stages when it is less likely to be a “lifestyle”
and is less likely to be associated with other significant
problems
Approximately 5-10% of postpubertal girls and women suffer from an eating disorder or borderline condition. A great many more girls and women and a significant minority of men find their lives restricted by a negative body image and unhealthy weight and management practices.
Approximately 20% of our population suffers from a mental disorder or emotional problem. This means that mental health professionals will never be able to adequately respond to the 4-5 million girls and women who are suffering from full-blown eating disorders or borderline variations, let alone those who are unhealthy and unhappy chronic dieters.
1. Eating disorders are serious and complex problems. Avoid thinking of them in simplistic terms like “anorexia is just a plea for attention” or “bulimia is just an addiction to food.”
2. Prevention programs are not “just a women’s problem” or “something for the girls.” Males who are preoccupied with shape and weight can also develop disordered eating patterns as well as dangerous shape control practices such as steroid use. Two underlying features of an eating disorder to be aware of are obsession with appearance and shame about one’s body.
3. Prevention efforts will fail, or worse, inadvertently encourage disordered eating, if they concentrate solely on warning parents and children about the signs, symptoms, and dangers of eating disorders. We must address our cultural obsession with slenderness, the distorted meaning of both femininity and masculinity in today’s society, and the development of people’s self-esteem and self-respect.
4. If at all possible,
prevention “programs” should be coordinated with opportunities for individuals
in the audience to speak confidentially with a trained professional and, where
appropriate, to receive referrals to sources of competent specialized
care.
--Learn all you can about anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive overeating. Genuine awareness undermines judgmental or mistaken attitudes about food, body shape, and eating disorders.
--Discourage the idea that a particular diet, weight, or body size will automatically lead to happiness and fulfillment.
--If you think someone has an eating disorder, express your concerns in the forthright, caring manner. Gently but firmly encourage the person to seek trained professional help.
--Support local and national
nonprofit eating disorders organizations like EDAP by volunteering your time or
giving a tax-deductible donation.
*We know that the seeds for body dissatisfaction, dieting, and a drive for thinness can be planted in early childhood even though eating disorders most often fully develop in the teenage years. Cultural images and stereotypes of “acceptable” bodies combined with the body image concerns modeled by parents are a powerful force in young children’s lives.
*Did you know that children
begin to develop gender based stereotypes of attractiveness early in life and
that 42% of black and white first, second, and third grade girls in the study
preferred body figures different and thinner than their own perceived
shapes…
10 Things
We CAN Do:1. Examine the ways in
which your beliefs and attitudes and behaviors about your own body and the
bodies of others have been shaped by the forces of weightism and sexism.
The educate your children about (a) the genetic basic differences in body types;
and
(b) the
nature and ugliness of prejudice.
2. Examine closely your dreams and goals for your children and other loved ones. Are you over emphasizing beauty and body shape, particularly for girls?
3. Learn about and discuss with your sons and daughters, (a) the dangers of trying to alter one’s body shape through dieting; (b) the value of moderate exercising toward stamina and cardiovascular fitness; (c) the importance of eating a variety of foods in well-balanced meals consumed at least three times a day.
4. Make a commitment to exercise for the joy of feeling your body move and function effectively, not to purge fat from your body or compensate for calories eaten.
5. Make a commitment to avoid activities (swimming, dancing, etc.) simply because they call attention to your weight.
6. Practice taking people in general and women in particular, seriously for what they say, feel, and do, not for how slender they are.
7. Make a commitment to help children appreciate and resist the ways in which television, magazines, and other media distort the true diversity of human body types and imply that a slender body means power, excitement, and sexuality.
8. Make a commitment to educating boys about the various forms of violence against women, including weightism.
9. Encourage your children to be active and to enjoy what their bodies can do and feel like.
10. Do whatever you can to
promote the self-esteem and self-respect of your daughters and nieces, and
sisters in intellectual, athletic, and social endeavors. Give boys and
girls the same opportunities and encouragement.
Dieting is for a limited amount of
time unrealistic goals are
set The dieter constantly
thinks of food due to restriction The dieter does not learn a new lifestyle Dieting can have negative
effects By breaking diets,
self-criticism, disappointment, and anxiety are more likely
How to Positively Improve Your Body Image:
Suggested Meal Plan
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