Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge-eating disorders affect more than 5 million women and 1 million men in the United States, according to the National Eating Disorder Association Web-site.
Two peer counselors saw this alarming trend and realized that the university needed a support group for those people dealing with or affected by eating disorders.
| Eating disorders and their precursors Story continues below advertisement *91 percent of women on a college campus have attempted to control their weight through dieting. *81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. *80 percent of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance. *51 percent of 9- and 10-year-olds feel better about themselves if they are on a diet. *42 percent of first- through third-grade girls want to be thinner. *35 percent of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. *22 percent of college women often or always diet. — Statistics from the National Eating Disorders Association |
Senior Jessica Pink and junior Kim Masters formed Students Against Eating Disorders last semester. The group’s goal is to “educate and communicate with students the dangers and severity of eating disorders,” Masters said.
People with eating disorders often use food and the control of food in an attempt to compensate for feelings and emotions that may otherwise seem overwhelming, according to the NEDA Web site. Dieting, bingeing, and purging may begin as a way to cope with emotions and feel in control, but these behaviors will damage a person’s physical and emotional health, self-esteem, and sense of control.
“It’s not about food at all, rather an expression of other factors going on,” Masters said. “It’s like alcohol or any other addiction. Your behavior is caught in a cycle, it starts as one thing then cycles into something else.”
SAED currently has about 35 members, including both men and women, with 15 to 20 of them actively involved with the club. Masters and Pink sent mass e-mails to students in psychology, women’s studies and kinesiology classes to attract members.
The club meets twice a week at 8 p.m. in the Potawonome Room of Davies Center. Tuesdays are used to plan activities and Wednesdays are for the support group. The group is dedicated to students overcoming eating disorders or for those who are affected in other ways by them, Pink said.
One difficulty with the group is deciding what is appropriate material to cover and how to handle students’ varying degrees of the illness, Pink said.
“We want to promote healthy conversations,” she said. “We want people there who want to learn.”
SAED promotes early education by speaking to middle school and high school students. This age group is highly influenced by what the media defines as an ideal body type, Pink said.
“A lot of attention is placed on body image and the media constantly talks about weight problems,” Pink said. “Diets are a big part of our culture.”
Most fashion models are thinner than 98 percent of American women, the NEDA Web site stated. The average woman is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average model is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 117 pounds.
SAED currently is planning the second annual Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which is scheduled for March 31 through April 5. Activities will include guest speakers, panel discussions and an outreach program to the middle schools and high schools, which includes a 5K run/walk.
“The aim is to promote mental, physical, and emotional well-being,” Pink said.
Ultimately, the group’s goal is to reach out to the community and let them know that help is available, Masters said.
“Eating disorders affect so many people, full-blown or not,” Masters said. “Everyone in one way or another is touched by it.”
