14 DAY TRIAL // Findings of the first survey to investigate rates of pre-teen eating disorders found that poor eating habits and associated problems such as anorexia and bulimia are quite common among children under 13 years of age, which raised high concerns among medical experts and health officials. The study showed that hundreds of British children are yearly diagnosed with this type of conditions, with 175 cases being reported within one year interval of time. Out of the 175 children suffering from eating disorders, about a half had to be taken to the hospital and be fed through a tube or receive medical treatment for the recovery.
Steve Bloomfield, spokesman for the Eating Disorders Association, pointed out that increasing numbers of young children with eating disorders is extremely concerning and further research into the causes which led to these conditions and possible ways of preventing them is needed. He stated: "It is obviously a matter of concern where youngsters are being affected by these problems. But it is very hard to know what is behind this. It does show the need for much more research into how and why this is happening."
Overall results of the survey conducted on children under the age of 13 showed that eating disorders children patients have an average age of 11, while the youngest sufferer was found to be 5 years of age. The survey was carried out by a team of experts at the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU). They have received data on children with Early Onset Eating Disorders (EOED) from paediatricians and psychiatrists throughout a more than one year period, from March 2005 to May 2006.
Findings of the investigation have been issued in the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit's annual report and showed that anorexia was the most common eating disorder diagnosed in young children, closely followed by bulimia and with three children already suffering from binge-eating disorders. About 75% of the children included in the study reported concerns about their body weight and especially about weight gain, which caused 40% of them to overexercise and 16% to resort quite often to self-induced vomiting.
Andrew Hill, Professor of Medical Psychology at Leeds University School of Medicine and who has a special interest in analyzing eating disorders said that there are two leading reasons for the increasing rates of eating disorders among young children and both of them are triggered by the social environment. The first key-reason is closely connected to the high importance our society gives to image and good looks, as our kids are living in an 'image-dominated' world and society. The second key-factor is related to the fact that anorexia and other eating disorders have grown 'socially accepted' during past years, with many famous actresses, singers etc. being known to have suffered from such conditions.
"You can't turn a corner without seeing somebody's image on a billboard. You walk into shops and you are surrounded by magazines and news papers which are all pictorially driven. You don't have to have the sophistication of language to understand the impact of pictures. That is why it affects kids so much," explained Prof. Hill. He also added: "You see so many famous actresses and supermodels who at some point had an eating disorder - it's if they can do it, then why not me? I think in a sense it is fairly disastrous that it has become socially acceptable."