To eat or not to eat...that is their question
Eating is not a simple thing if you are a teenager. If you read
teenage magazines, you will see a bewildering array of articles on food, healthy
eating and dieting. It is a topic for conversation, something to think and, for
many, to worry about. Research has shown that teenagers, more than any age
group, are affected by celebrity and media images of thinness. They devour
articles on how to get celebrity bodies, compete with each other to see who can
diet most effectively, and worry that they do not reach the often impossible
standards they set themselves. The internet offers further suggestions. A
search for ‘how to lose weight’ produces over 2 million articles, including some
suggesting very restrictive diets, others offering diet pills for sale over the
internet and many which offer nuggets of ‘advice’ which are at best
nutritionally questionable and at worst potentially dangerous.
One study of
teenage girls revealed that they felt the ‘ideal’ body would be 5 ft 7 and weigh
just 7 stone 2 pounds. This represents a goal that most girls will not achieve
without seriously restricting their eating, and a weight that would actually be
considered anorexic. It shows clearly the kind of pressure many children place
themselves under in pursuing goals related to their weight and appearance which
are wholly unrealistic. Alarming numbers of children now admit using methods
such as starving themselves for days at a time, making themselves sick, and
taking laxatives or diet pills. Some studies suggest that over half of teenage
girls and nearly a quarter of boys have tried these things, and feel that they
are harmless ways of controlling their weight.
“My
friends are always reading articles on how to have the perfect celebrity body.
They’re not meant for kids our age, but we read them all anyway. If you want to
look that good you have to make some sacrifices” ~Ali, 12
First step...often dieting
Despite this interest in
controlling their eating, many teenagers seem to be losing control in one way or
another. Over 3% of 13-18 year olds are now estimated to have anorexia or
bulimia, and with more than 10% of teenagers in the UK obese, it is likely that
some of these are suffering with binge eating disorder. The age of those
suffering with eating disorders also seems to be falling. Once a disorder that
generally started between 16 and 18, it is now common to hear of girls aged 14
and under who are suffering. Of the hundreds of children who called childline
last year asking for advice about eating disorders, over 70% were between 13 and
16. These behaviours that are now common in young people are putting them at
risk of developing an eating disorder. Over 70% of those suffering with eating
disorders say that the first step in their disorder was dieting. Children who
show very strict dieting and disordered eating may be as much as eighteen times
more likely to develop eating disorders than those who do not diet.
Common misconceptions
One common
misconception about eating disorders is that they are all about wanting to be
thin. However, anyone who has ever suffered from an eating disorder will tell
you that this is not the case. For most people, an eating disorder develops as
a way of coping. Difficult negative emotions such as anxiety or anger threaten
to become overwhelming until controlling eating and making plans about losing
weight seem to help to diminish them. For some there has been great trauma
which has added to these emotions, and which they struggle to conceal. An
eating disorder can become symbolic: cleansing of impurity for someone who has
been abused, or about becoming a different person in order to protect from
further hurt. This is combined with a very low self-esteem and confidence. The
sufferer feels that they have value only for the things they achieve, and feels
tremendous pressure to perform well in all areas of their life. They are often
the children who come second, performing well but getting little recognition.
With
the introduction and increased emphasis on PSHE in the school curriculum,
healthy eating and emotional well being have become things that are on the
timetable. Teachers involved in PSHE have a vital role to play in helping
children to work out how to respond to the pressures surrounding them. Faced
with the frightening reality of eating disorders however, many avoid mentioning
them for fear of giving children ideas or making things worse. However, the
curriculum includes issues which are central to eating disorders, from learning
about nutrition to helping deal with difficult feelings and improve self-worth.
Steps YOU can take in teaching PSHE to help children
who might be at risk of developing eating disorders.
-
What
ISN’T healthy eating?
Children often hear messages about what healthy eating is, but rarely what it is
NOT. It is vital that healthy eating messages are balanced with warnings about
not restricting eating too far, protecting those at risk from developing severe
‘rules’ about what they do and don’t eat. Children need to know that no food is
forbidden – just that some things we should try not to eat too often.
‘Healthy eating is NOT about …
no choice, no chocolate, no cheese’
Normal
eating is not about weighing things, counting calories, carbohydrate grams or
fat percentages. Children need to know that it is normal to sometimes eat too
much, and sometimes too little. Eating, whether healthy or otherwise, should
not dominate their life.
2. How to deal with difficult feelings and
emotions
Often
at the root of an eating disorder is a difficulty with dealing with negative
emotions like anxiety, anger and depression. Children may have never been told
how to handle these emotions, how to make themselves feel better or how to react
in a constructive way to this kind of emotional pain. Food becomes something
they can focus on that helps them to cope, or distracts them from their
feelings. Sometimes something like losing weight can feel like the one thing
they can do that might make their life better. They believe that all their
other problems would be gone were they thinner. You can help them avoid this
mistake by teaching better ways to handle and express anger, lift mood and
relax.
3. Always avoid glamorising eating disorders
This
may seem like an obvious point to make, but many teachers are unaware of how
easy it is to unintentionally do this. Workers for ABC who go into schools and
share their own stories of anorexia have been shocked at the excited way
children ask them how low their weight got, exactly what they ate each day, what
clothes size they got down to. Children in the 21st century grow up
in an environment that encourages the pursuit of thinness, and eating disorder
can be things to be admired. It is essential therefore that the harsh reality
of eating disorders is portrayed. Therefore do not show pictures of how thin
people get or focus on the weight loss. Instead make sure children understand
the impact eating disorders have on a sufferers life: how many have to leave
school, and give up dreams from their future. Explain how it is not a long term
solution to anything, and ends up causing many more problems than it solves.
Dr Kate Middleton
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How can ABC help those working in schools with these
issues?
PSHE curriculum
guidelines which relate to eating disorders
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