Eating Disorders

FIVE COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT EATING DISORDERS?

Myth #2: Dieting is a normal part of life

Research shows that most people, particularly adolescents, are confused about eating disorders. People recognise that eating disorders are potentially harmful; however they also accept body obsession and dieting as normal parts of growing up.

Studies in Australia and New Zealand have found:

Approximately half of adolescent girls have tried to lose weight and practise disordered eating behaviours such as fasting, self-induced vomitingAs many as 75% of high school girls feel fat or want to lose weight

Truth:

While moderate, sustainable changes in diet and exercise have been shown to be safe, significant mental and physical consequences may occur with extreme or unhealthy dieting practices. Eating disorders almost invariably occur in people who have engaged in dieting or disordered eating. Dieting is also associated with other health concerns including depression, anxiety, nutritional and metabolic problems, and, contrary to expectation, with an increase in weight.

While dieting practices are unhealthy at any life-stage, particular attention has been paid to dieting in adolescence. Puberty is a time of great change biologically, physically and psychologically. Teenagers are often vulnerable to societal pressures and can often feel insecure and self-conscious, which are factors that increase the risk of engaging in extreme dieting behaviour. Research shows that young people who engage in unhealthy dieting practices are almost three times as likely as their healthy-dieting peers to score high on measures assessing suicide risk.

Studies in Australia and New Zealand have found:

Young people who diet moderately are six times more likely to develop an eating disorder; and those who are severe dieters have an 18-fold riskAmong girls who diet, the risk of obesity is greater than for non-dieters.