Website References

http://www.hcf.com.au/Services/eating-disorders.asp

http://www.ceed.org.au/www/452/1001127/displayarticle/1001246.html

http://www.cedd.org.au/

http://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/

http://www.vic.gov.au/health-community/medical-conditions/eating-disorders.html

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Eating_disorders

What is being undertaken to address the problems with body image and eating disorders?

Eating Disorders Victoria engages with key policy makers and stakeholders to help shape policies which support the cultural changes that are needed to reduce eating disorders in our community. We have representatives on advisory committees relating to eating disorder treatment services, positive body image, obesity, healthy eating in schools and others.

Key advocacy efforts in recent times have included:

• Consumer, carer and professional input into the ministerial advisory committee subcommittee on eating disorders, providing advice to Minister Lisa Neville, Minister for Mental Health and Drugs.

• Consumer representation and professional input into the community advisory committee for body image, providing advice to Minster James Merlino, Minister for Youth Affairs, Recreation and Sport.

• Submission to the Victorian Government in response to the proposed new mental health strategy "Because Mental Health Matters". Click here to download a copy of the submission.

• Devising EDV position paper and guidelines on the portrayal of body images by the media, fashion and advertising industries.

• Participation on the advisory panel for the 'Kids - Go For Your Life' health initiative.

• Participation in the Butterfly Eating Disorders Australian National Collaboration.

• Participation in the advisory committee for the Centre For Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED).

There are many projects to address the challenges of body image issues and eating disorders.

Here is a Project to assist carers of people with an eating disorder:


Project 1: Evaluation of a web‐based multi media intervention for carers of people with anorexia nervosa.


This project examines whether an internet‐based intervention for carers (or significant others) of people with anorexia nervosa is effective and useful. The interactive web programme aims to give carers information and skills to help them help their relative, cope with care‐giving and reduce distress, which may in turn help the individual with anorexia nervosa. 

The programme includes information on how to communicate with a person with anorexia; how to support them at meal times, facilitate weight gain and re‐establish healthy eating; how to manage crises and conflict; and how to assess and manage risk.

What resources are there to help young people with body image issues and eating disorders?

There are many places young people can go to help with the issues of body image and eating disorders. These include:

Doctors

Hospitals

Community Health Services

Beyond Blue Helpline

SANE Australia

Eating Disorders Victoria

Websites to go to include:

http://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/

http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Eating_Disorders

http://www.youthbeyondblue.com/

http://www.sane.org/

Raising Awareness - A Community Response

Campaign News

Eating Disorders Victoria welcomed Hairhouse Warehouse as its first corporate sponsor in 2008. EDV and Hairhouse Warehouse are working on a joint venture to raise awareness of the issues surrounding eating disorders and to raise the profile of the Eating Disorders Helpline. Monies raised from the campaign are going toward expanding upon the helpline infrastructure and service. EDV is extremely grateful for the generous support of Hairhouse Warehouse in developing this project.

In January 2009, Eating Disorders Victoria produced new radio Community Service Announcements (CSA):

http://www.hairhousewarehouse.com.au/

Body Image video

A Personal Story

CASE STUDY: ANOREXIA

Miranda developed anorexia nervosa when she was 16. Fifteen years later she has recovered but is a self-confessed, habitually mindful person about what she eats.

"I was a shy and apparently very bright teenager, the kind of girl that tried to please everyone. I was pretty and not fat - just had that normal puppy fat you have.

"I remember my father (who was joking) telling me maybe I was a little chubby. I took him seriously. I started dieting and didn't stop. Eventually my periods stopped. I was obsessed. I weighed my food all the time and did things like put my daily ration into small containers. I exercised - even in the bathroom. I was five feet nine tall and weighed less than 45 kilos. I ended up in hospital and on a drip for two weeks. It took a long time and a lot of help for me to face my problem."

http://www.hcf.com.au/Services/eating-disorders.asp

What are the physical, social, emotional and intellectual challenges on health and development?

Physical: The following physical symptoms will become more severe the longer the disorder is present:

• Dry skin

• Dry or chapped lips

• Poor circulation resulting in pins and needles and/or purple extremities

• Headaches

• Brittle fingernails

• Bruising easily

• Frail appearance

• Endocrine disorder leading to cessation of periods in girls (amenorrhoea)

• Reduced metabolism

• Abnormally slow heart rate

• Low blood pressure

• Hypotension

• Hypothermia

• Anaemia (iron deficiency)

• Abdominal pain

• Oedema (retention of fluid giving a “puffy” appearance)

• Stunting of height and growth

• Fainting

Social Problems:

• Cultural pressures that glorify 'thinness' and place value on obtaining the 'perfect body'

• Narrow definitions of beauty that include only women and men of specific body weights and shapes

Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance

Emotional Issues:

• Low self esteem and loss of confidence

• Feelings of being ineffective and powerless

• Fear of losing control

• Mood swings

• Irritability

• Anxiety and depression

• Loneliness

• Feelings of being worthless

Intellectual Problems:

• Poor concentration

• Inability to think rationally

• Preoccupation with food, eating and exercise

What are the short term effects of body image issues with health and development?

The short term effects are:

• Dramatic weight loss – Rapid, drastic weight loss with no medical cause.

• Feeling fat, despite being underweight – May complain about being overweight in general or just “too fat” in certain places such as the stomach, hips, or thighs.

• Fixation on body image – Obsessed with weight, body shape, or clothing size. Frequent weigh-ins and concern over tiny fluctuations in weight.

• Harshly critical of appearance – Spends a lot of time in front of the mirror checking for flaws. There’s always something to criticize. They’re never thin enough.

Denies being too thin – Refuses to believe that his or her low body weight is a problem, but may try to conceal it (drinking a lot of water before being weighed, wearing baggy or oversized clothes).

What are the trends of body image issues and Anorexia?

• Findings from a Victorian Adolescent study revealed 8.8% of female adolescents had an eating disorder. Close to 50% of those had high levels of depression and anxiety, especially those with bulimia.

• Eating disorders occur in both males and females before puberty, with the ratio of males to females approximately 1:10 during adolescence and increasing to 1:20 during young adulthood.

• The incidence of eating disorders in the athletic population, including ballet, is 20% or greater than in the average population.

• Research suggests that males are becoming increasingly concerned about the size, shape and overall appearance of their bodies. One in three young males want their body to be heavier and one in three want their body to be lighter. 26-30% of boys want to be thinner. However prevailing cultural values encourage many boys to desire increased size and muscle mass.

• 42% of young women from different cultural backgrounds (European and Asian), who are already underweight, want to weigh even less.

• 50% of primary school children wanted to weigh less according to a survey of pre-adolescent Sydney children. 25% of seven to ten year olds have dieted to lose weight.

What happens if you have an unhealthy body image?

An unhealthy body image can lead to the serious illness, Anorexia Nervosa.

A one-in-five mortality rate shows that people who are preoccupied with their weight and body image develop serious physical conditions.

The estimated mortality rate is 12 times the rate of similar aged people in the community and double that of those suffering other psychiatric disorders. The risk of suicide is high, being 1.5 times higher than for people with major depression.

Morbidity of body image problems includes osteoporosis, anovulation, dysthymia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and social isolation.

Celebrities that have anorexia

"Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos, 22, died of heart failure in August of the same year, reportedly after weeks of consuming nothing but lettuce and diet drinks."

Mary-Kate Olsen

Nicole Richie

Victoria Beckham

Body Image Pressure on Young People

All too often, society associates being "thin", with "hard-working, beautiful, strong and self-disciplined." On the other hand, being "fat" is associated with being "lazy, ugly, weak and lacking will-power." Because of these harsh critics, rarely are teenagers completely satisfied with their image. As a result, they often feel great anxiety and pressure to achieve and/or maintain an imaginary appearance.

The Australian Longitudinal Study of Girl’s Health, which included 14,686 young women aged 18-23 years, revealed 66.5% had a BMI within a healthy weight range, however only 21.6% of these young women were happy with their weight. The pressures on young people to look good

• Low self esteem increases the chance of developing disordered eating.
• A recent survey of 600 Australian children found that increasingly, children are disturbed by the relentless pressure of marketing aimed at them. A large majority (88%) believed that companies tried to sell them things that they do not really need.
• A large number (41%) of children are specifically worried about the way they look with 35% concerned about being overweight (44% of girls and 27% of boys) and 16% being too skinny.
• A 2007 Sydney University study of nearly 9,000 adolescents showed one in five teenage girls starved themselves or vomit up their food to control their weight. Eight per cent of girls used smoking for weight control.
• A recent survey of 29,000 young Australians found Body Image was the most concerning issue for young people (32.3%)
• The average child in the UK, US and Australia sees between 20,000 and 40,000 television advertisements per year. They are bombarded with images about how they should look and what they should own. Children struggle to keep up, suffering from anxiety, stress and lower satisfaction in themselves.

Sources:

http://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/media/key-statistics.html

http://www.womenshealth.gov/bodyimage/eatingdisorders/

What is Body Image?

Body image is the attitude towards your body, how you see your self, how you think and feel about the way you look and how others see you. Your body image can be influenced by your own beliefs and attitude.

• An unhealthy body image is thinking your body is bigger or smaller then what it is in reality.
• A healthy body image is being comfortable in your own skin, being happy with the way you look, and feeling good within yourself.

Source: http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/body-image-how-to-love-the-skin-youre-in