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Eating Disorders on the Rise Among Children and Adolescents
Filed under: Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens
Plus size models are becoming more popular on the runway. Credit: William West, AFP/Getty Images
The days of heroin chic and waif thin supermodels may be coming to an end, but, to the contrary, the number of children and adolescents being diagnosed with eating disorders continues to rise, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Up to 2 percent of adolescent girls suffer from bulimia nervosa and 0.5 percent have anorexia nervosa. And, experts are noticing, the number of boys suffering from eating disorders is quickly on the rise, as well.
Roughly 10 percent of all recognized cases are now in males, according to a report in Pediatrics, and eating disorders are becoming more common in minority communities.
Most concerning, the amount of young children with eating disorders has drastically spiked. Between 1999 and 2006, the number of children younger than 12 who were hospitalized for eating disorders increased by 119 percent, the report states.
And the problem may be bigger than we realize. Many kids don't meet the strict criteria for eating disorders established by the American Psychiatric Association, yet suffer the same psychical and psychological consequences as those who do.
So, what does the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend to prevent eating disorders among children?
Pediatricians need to be on the lookout for these disorders and should screen for them in annual checkups and in health exams required for participation on athletic teams.
Also, doctors should manage or refer children who are diagnosed with an eating disorder, since medical complications from them can be serious or even life threatening. Proper care should include medical care, mental health treatment and nutritional intervention, the authors recommend.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
11-30-2010 @ 7:15AM
stephen said...possibly the more physical activity,less sofa time-computer time-cell&text time-video game etc...whether the problem be skinny or fat.heavy burns fat and skinny desires appetite.my opinion,thanks
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11-30-2010 @ 7:56AM
Zelda said...Already I see there's a type of eating disorder they haven't even mentioned--which is SELECTIVE EATING DISORDER. Many children suffer from this condition, for which early intervention is crucial. This is a disorder that generally surfaces when the child is transitioning from baby food to table food. It has a neurological component, so if your child is having problems, don't blame it all on them; it's not their fault, they were born this way. Parents if you have a child who suffers with this affliction, get help from Denver Children's Hospital, who specializes in treatment of this disorder, ASAP.
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11-30-2010 @ 8:48AM
cesarvis said...This is disgusting. Our society is so vain and it is all disguised as "healthy". What a joke. Be proud of who we are huh? Apparently only if we have the "perfect" body otherwise we should teach our kids they should be ashamed that they are fat and "unhealthy". Eating disorders are so much more healthy than some chub....give me an f'ing break. People in this country are SO STUPID!!!!
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12-03-2010 @ 10:03AM
kate said...It is not all about appearance, although the children may feel that way. Very young children are being diagnosed with "adult illnesses" such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and essential hypertension at a much higher rate than 20 years ago. PE is cut from schools, they spend hours in front of the tv or computer, and parents feed them adult size portions. When you've met a 200 pound 8 year old (I have) and you can still say it's about image--then you're the one who's delusional.
11-30-2010 @ 12:26PM
William said...People in this country are so stupid? You must be at the front of the stupid line then.
11-30-2010 @ 1:16PM
Catwoman said...I have to agree with William's post, however, I would like to add...
Unfortunately, you can force politically correct, let's be nice, thinking philosophies all you want. But Obesity fat, especially at Morbid Obesity rates is NOT attractive, but repulsive. It does not mean we should hate that person, but respect or like them, well that's a different set of thinking attitudes.
Obesity is a reflection of "lack of self discipline" and "low self esteem." THE percent of obesity due to all the "whoa is me because I am fat due to blah blah blah" is minimal.
As a society there have always been disorders but due to the lovely internet every single minute percent is blown up out of proportion.
OBESITY IS NOT HEALTHY!!! I don't feel the healthy, strong, and fit population should be responsible for anyone's metabolic disease. YOU choose your path and I don't want to pay for it. It is as simple as that. I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE OBESE, I JUST DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR IT.!!!!!
12-01-2010 @ 10:56PM
loveis22984 said...You must be really fat...... I taught my daughter to be proud of who she is, I also taught her what you should be proud of. A healthy eating is something to be proud of. My daughter was 2 years old when she started telling strangers....."frenfry bah fa you har" (translation, french fries are bad for your heart).
11-30-2010 @ 9:10AM
Steven R. Russell said..."Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him. "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!" (Matthew 15:16-20 NLT).
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11-30-2010 @ 11:34AM
jos said...My son has watched his weight since he was 12- as do all his friends.The nutrition teachers at school taught them to read labels and boy do they"This is empty calories- no protien"etc.He runs and goes to the gym and attends a college with wellness dorms .They drink gallons of water and are outside active.His highschool had very few out of shape kids, his college even fewer .The freshman 15 doesn't exist.This generation don't smoke they regard it as a gross middle aged habit.They are healthy , vibrant ,young and frighteningly beautiful.
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11-30-2010 @ 1:29PM
Katie said...It's no wonder with the pre-occupation with the body! Children are very much aware that it's unacceptable to be fat! This is drilled into them by society at a very early age. My young niece (6) came crying to me a couple months ago stating she was fat. She told me that she would starve herself skinny. THIS CHILD IS NOT FAT! In fact, she is a little underweight. She told me about a girl in her kindergarten class that everybody makes fun of for being fat. She pointed out the girl to me when I took her to school. The child she pointed out was not fat! She was taller than most of the others, but not fat.
So this is what we've come to. We have children so scared of becoming "overweight" that they will starve themselves to death! I just don't understand that while we accept that we were created in different colors, genders, heights, etc. most people can't grasp that we were also created in different sizes and shapes!
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11-30-2010 @ 3:38PM
Brad said...Eating too much is as bad an eating disorder as eating too little. I made an observation which to me proves that America kids eat too much crap and fast foods. When I visited Thailand twenty-two years ago kids were thin... no obesity. I went back last year... fat kids popping up everywhere. What changed? There are now Burger Kings, McDonald's, and KFC on almost every street corner.
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12-01-2010 @ 9:17PM
Yon said...This is shotgun article that is not very useful, yet will alarm a lot of people that were happier kept in ignorance. Spread fear and enrich couacks and pharma mafias.
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12-02-2010 @ 11:22AM
Vicki Oswald said...Eating is natural to living. Children should be given healthy foods and not be punished for not liking something. They should not be held to eating "everything on the plate" no matter who dishes it out. Exercise, at least some stretching and moving, is ideal to do and do with children or at least model for children. Controlling problems with the parents and a lot of stress with the parents needs to be handled so that they do not filter down to the children. Children need to be hugged and loved unconditionally - just for who they are and not for what they do. Remember - hitting is just a way of expressing parental frustration. Using words and giving consequences do not hurt and can help a child to understand that what they did is the problem - not that THEY are the problem. Good parenting is key.
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12-02-2010 @ 7:19PM
bert said...obesity is a choice......super thin is a choice
its all...ALL ABOUT CONTROL
EVERYONE MAKES THEIR OWN BED
just dont even ask us to BUY IN TO IT.....AS A "PROBLEM"
ive helped hundreds to lose and to gain,why hell i've even written a definitive book to know what you will actually be hea;thy doing either one or at least as far as somewhat healthy as YOU CANT CALL EITHER EXTREME HEALTHY
Reply
12-02-2010 @ 7:17PM
BERT said...THE BOOK TO READ IS'
THE GREAT FITNESS FRAUD
12-03-2010 @ 11:01AM
anonymous2 said...eating disorders though aren't a choice, they are a disease. if i had a choice i wouldn't be shoving my head in the toilet 14 times a days. i am bulimic/anoretic. i have been this way for 12 years, i'm 23, its been over half my life. with the constant emphasis on dieting, and added pressure to be thin and that common theme of "we are supposed to be dissatisfied with our bodies" its not surprising that eating disorders are on the rise among kids. not all kids will develop an eating disorder but some children are much more susceptible then others.
and as far as saying its about "control" thats an over used buzz word for people who know a little bit and a whole lot of nothing about eating disorders.
3-04-2011 @ 4:40PM
EDCounsellor said...I'm not sure where this discussion went off track if it's in relation to the article on children with eating disorders? The article is not talking about children who are obese (most of the posts seem to be talking about this), it's about children with anorexia or bulimia. I am an eating disorders counsellor & psychotherapist in Dublin, Ireland, and I have more clients than I can take contacting me - both adults, and parents on behalf of adolescents.
I'm actually shocked at the tone of this commentary. With some parents talking about food and weight the way some commentators are, it's no wonder children are growing up with food and body image issues.
Full blown eating disorders however, are not about food, or body image/size. They are about feelings, and where there's someone with an eating disorder, there's a childhood that somehow didn't meet the emotional needs of that person. The tone of some of these comments is very judgmental, and if you speak like that on a public forum, chances are you speak like that around your children. And that's not helpful or healthy for your children to be hearing.
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