EATING DISORDER AWARENESS WEEK IS 2/26-3/3

Navigating the Continued Rise in Eating Disorders Among Children: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers
In the past few years we have seen a notable rise in eating disorders in children and teens, particularly among adolescent girls, trans kids, and non-binary kids. Eating disorders transpire with an unhealthy relationship with food and concerns about weight and can spiral into a deadly situation. The common misconception is that when people think of eating disorders, they think of someone who is overly thin. However, eating disorders are more common than you would think in children and teens and people in all body sizes struggle with them. 
Eating disorders affect people of all genders, body sizes, sexual identities, races, ethnicities, and ages, including kids. They can develop quickly and can be tricky to identify as they are sometimes disguised as ‘trying to be healthy.”  Since March of 2020, in the United States alone, eating disorder diagnoses have increased by roughly 15%, primarily in females and in teenagers. 

The facts:

• By age 6, girls particularly, start to express concerns about their own weight or shape. Roughly 40-60% of elementary school girls (ages 6-12) are concerned about their weight.
• 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner.
• 81% of 10-year-old children are afraid of being fat.
• 46% of 9–11-year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets.
• 35-57% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, fasting, self-induced vomiting, diet pills, or laxatives. Girls in larger bodies are more likely to engage in such extreme dieting.
• In a large study of 14– and 15-year-olds, dieting was the most important predictor of developing an eating disorder. Those who dieted moderately were 5x more likely to develop an eating disorder, and those who practiced extreme restriction were 18x more likely to develop an eating disorder.
• Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives.
• Those with eating disorders have significantly elevated mortality rates, due to medical complications or suicide. For every 1,000 people diagnosed with anorexia, ~5.1 individuals will die from anorexia in a year. 

As a parent or guardian, what do I look out for? 
Identifying Warning Signs: Following is a comprehensive list of warning signs, ranging from an increased focus on body weight and shape to changes in social behavior, substance use, and academic performance. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to be attentive to shifts in their child's behavior, attitudes toward food, and overall well-being. The inclusion of both physical and psychological indicators aims to equip caregivers with a holistic understanding of potential red flags.
Warning signs of eating disorders include: 

• An increased interest in body weight and shape, food, ‘health’, and/or exercise 
• Sorting foods into ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and/or avoidance of certain foods 
• Weight loss of any kind (note that most people with eating disorders do not ‘look sick’ nor are they underweight, according to the BMI scale) 
• Body checking. Measuring weight, asking for reassurance of body size, using clothing to measure their body, and/or using measuring tape. 
• Increased rigidity and inability to be flexible around food 
• Avoidance of social situations in which food is involved and/or requires less clothing (i.e., bathing suits) 
• Substance use or decreases in performance at school 
• Excessive exercise 
• Self-induced vomiting, binging, laxative and/or enema use 
• Calorie, macro, or points counting 
• Layering of clothing and/or refusal to wear alternative items 
• Intense fear of being fat or larger bodied
  Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, perfectionism, irritability 
• Cold intolerance 
• Menstrual irregularities 
• Intense focus on body composition 
• Out of the ordinary requests for specific foods 
• Starting new food behaviors or rituals. For example, cutting foods into very small pieces, eating slowly, or taking small bites only, organizing food on the plate before eating, spitting food out, hiding food, drinking more fluids than what is normal for them etc. 

Taking Action: The significance of early intervention is critical and encourages parents and caregivers to reach out to pediatricians if they suspect their child may be exhibiting signs of an eating disorder. It reassures caregivers that these disorders are treatable, with full recovery possible through a supportive team approach.
Is there anything for me to read in the meantime? 
Yes, there are many ways to support your child and yourself. The following are resources to help you better understand eating disorders and treatment. 

• National Eating Disorders Association Parental Toolkit
• Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment for Eating Disorders 
• Book: How to Nourish your Child Through an eating disorder by Casey Crosbie and Wendy Sterling 

If you and/or your child are not already in therapy, that’s a great first step as well. As parents and guardians, your mental health matters too. We are all in this together.