Eating Disorders Amongst Adolescents

In the UK alone 200,000 to 400,000 adolescents are affected by eating disorders. A recent study by researchers from Bristol university analysed data collected by 7000 13-15 years old’s in the 90’s. The study showed that one in three girls (34%) and one in five boys (21%) were upset or distressed about their weight and shape. It also showed that a quarter of girls (26%) and one in seven boys (14.5%) had restricted their food intake (by fasting, skipping meals or throwing away food). This study has highlighted two unexpected findings; more boys than previously thought are affected by eating disorders, and eating disorders are more common than we once believed in the early stages of adolescence.

On average, the government spends £48-60 million of UK healthcare costs on supporting people with eating disorders. These disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa, impact upon an adolescent’s mental health, and their social, personal and family lives. Patients with eating disorders develop a pronounced fascination and obsession with food, often leading to an inability to focus on other things such as friends, family and schoolwork. This may spiral out of control, with striking changes in weight and rapid deterioration of mental health.

With a growing trend of stick thin models parading through catwalks and a bombardment of advertisements showcasing photo-shopped celebrities, it remains likely that these figures will continue to climb. Dr Nadia Micali at the National Institute for Health Research commented on the rise in binge-eating culture: ‘we found a connection with certain behaviours and higher weight two years later, which has important public health implications for the prevention of obesity.’ Could our pathological fixation on achieving a perfect figure by whatever means necessary be driving an obesity epidemic in the long term?

To access the original article, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, please follow this link to the Bristol University site: https://fluff.bris.ac.uk/fluff/u1/indoh/sSoKhNyItdIkzy_iPiX_XwJAp/