Eating Disorder Week increases awareness

Diets may be more harmful than they seem.

“Of all people who go on diets, one-third develop disordered

eating and one-quarter of those people develop a full-blown eating

disorder,” said Susan MacQuiddy, a psychologist at the University

Counseling Center.

Conservative estimates indicate that 5 to 10 million girls and

women and approximately 1 million boys and men are struggling with

eating disorders in the United States, according to National Eating

Disorder Association.

“Nobody starts out a diet wanting to have an eating disorder,”

MacQuiddy said. “Even though the number of people who have eating

disorders is relatively small, there are still a vast number of

people who struggle with negative feelings about their bodies.”

Chris Bachman, a registered dietician at the Health District,

said college tends to create an atmosphere conducive to negative

body image.

” Eating disorders are very prevalent on college campuses

because there is pressure to meet society’s norms,” Bachman

said.

This week is Eating Disorder Awareness Week and Bachman hopes it

will be a reminder of the eating problems that men and women across

the world struggle with.

“Nationally, we hope that this week raises awareness,” Bachman

said. “Eating disorders won’t just go away, people have to get

help.”

Dr. Jane Higgins, a physician at Hartshorn Health Service, said

CSU has many resources available to students struggling with eating

disorders.

“We are very lucky to have good outpatient resources at CSU,”

Higgins said. “Students can visit the health service, the women’s

health and nutritionist health promotions and the counseling

center. If they go to one they will likely be referred to the other

two because the effort is best done as a team.”

MacQuiddy encourages students to utilize campus resources for

eating disorders and has confidence that Eating Disorder Awareness

Week will promote positive body image.

“I’m really hopeful that what we can do is call attention to the

problem we have and help people appreciate their bodies,” MacQuiddy

said. “We should support the notion that it is what is on the

inside that counts.”

 

Eating Disorder Survivor Panel

Thursday, February 26, 2004

Room 213/215 in the Lory Student Center

7 – 8:30 p.m.