When you think of childhood issues related to weight and health, overweight and obesity are probably the first two that come to mind. The media puts a lot of focus on kids who eat too much and don't exercise enough. But there is another alarming trend related to weight and health that parents need to be aware of: eating disorders. The incidence of anorexia and bulimia in young kids has increased dramatically over the past 10 years. Who is at risk? And why are these rates increasing now? The report, published in the journal Pediatrics, shows that eating disorder hospitalizations for children under 12 were up 119% from 1999 to 2006. Eating disorders are particularly dangerous for young kids because they can lead to stunted growth, organ damage and malnourishment (in addition to other permanent side effects.) The stereotype used to be young, upper-class females who suffered from these diseases. But that's no longer the case. Eating disorders affect children of every race and class. In fact, males make up 10 percent of the eating disorder population. We used to think that images in the media were largely responsible for these problems, since young people feel pressure to look like the celebrities they see in magazines and on T.V. But there are new factors influencing this trend. Pediatricians are offering advice about nutrition and weight as they try to prevent problems with overweight and obesity. Sometimes that can lead to an obsession with the scale and negative feelings about food. In our efforts to prevent weight issues in one direction (the scale going up), we might be creating issues in the other direction (the scale going down.) The good news is that children have a higher treatment success rate than adults. So if the problem is caught early, a full recovery is more likely. I believe that preventing eating disorders starts at home. I teach my children that their bodies are beautiful no matter what they look like. We focus more on being strong, active and healthy, and not on the numbers on the scale. I want them to have a healthy relationship with food, knowing that some foods are best in moderation, but that no foods are "bad". I picked up a lot from watching my mom constantly diet and battle her weight when I was growing up. So I am working hard to create a healthy environment with my family from the beginning. What do you think? Did anyone in your family struggle with eating disorders at a young age? What happened to them? |
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