According to a new study, more than one in every five children and adolescents worldwide exhibit indicators of eating disorder.
According to the meta-analysis published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the study exposes a critical public health issue that frequently remains unreported and unacknowledged.
1 In 5 Children Suffers From eating Disorder
Researchers examined 32 studies from 16 countries and discovered that 22% of children and adolescents engaged in disordered eating behaviors. According to the study, these figures were greater among girls, older teenagers, and those with a higher body mass index, or BMI.
According to therapist Jennifer Rollin, founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland, disordered eating is similar in behavior to an eating disorder in that it can include strict food rules about how much a person eats, what they eat, and how much they exercise in relation to their food.
The symptoms of disordered eating can progress to a full-blown eating disorder, which the researchers say is one of the most lethal psychiatric diseases of all. Bulimia and anorexia are the most frequent eating disorders.
Eating disorders affected 14 million people in 2019. This number included nearly 3 million children and adolescents. The findings show widespread poor mental health among youth throughout the epidemic, which was exacerbated by increased isolation and social media use.
An eating disorder is a complex mental health issue that causes disruptions in a person’s eating behaviors as a result of worry and emotional distress about food. It is frequently motivated by a preoccupation with food and body shape.
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the two most common types of eating disorders. Anorexia is defined by severe food restriction, an acute dread of gaining weight, bodily dysmorphia, and a never-ending pursuit of thinness.
Bulimia nervosa is a condition characterized by binge eating, which is commonly caused by an underlying mental disturbance such as anxiety and purging in some form, such as vomiting or using laxatives.
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How To Get Help For Binge Eating Disorder?
People should be aware of indicators of disordered eating in themselves and their children, according to study author Dr. José Francisco López-Gil, a postdoctoral researcher at Spain’s University of Castilla-La Mancha’s Health and Social Research Center.
Obsession with body weight or shape, skewed self-image, rigorous dietary guidelines, binge eating, and purging habits are examples of such tendencies, he added.
According to López-Gil, researchers must now investigate what is triggering the disturbed eating practices. In the meanwhile, specialists expect that institutions and families will concentrate on detecting and assisting children who exhibit signs of disordered eating.
According to Rollin, disordered eating can also manifest as a person narrowing the groups of foods they are willing to eat, feeling anxious or ashamed if food rules are broken, the number on the scale influencing their mood or eating behaviors, limiting social events, or bringing foods that follow their rules to events to control their eating.
If you notice indicators of disordered eating in your child, consult a health care practitioner or a mental health specialist, according to López-Gil.
Rollin believes that early intervention is critical to preventing disordered eating from progressing to a fully recognized eating disorder. Families can help their children by beginning with a positive and nonjudgmental attitude, according to López-Gil.
Several people, such as mental health, medical care, and nutrition specialists, are often needed to support an eating problem or disordered eating. A medical provider can frequently provide references to other professionals.
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