health

Most teenagers are concerned about how they look. After all, their appearance
changes very quickly. Girls develop breasts and their hips become
round and fuller. Boys’ voices deepen and body hair increases. Most
teenagers have an ideal image of what they should look like, and images
of film stars on television and in the movies reinforce the goal of thinness
as perfection.
Many young people, particularly girls, go on diets to control their
body weight. Dieting has been reported to start as early as elementary
school. Dieting without guidance by a medical doctor can cause problems
with growth and development for children and teens. Sometimes an
earnest but misguided effort to control weight can evolve into an eating
disorder.
Diane, a 13-year-old seventh grader, began dieting. She thought she
was 10 to 15 pounds overweight and switched her lunch from a sandwich
and cookies to a salad. She lost a few pounds. She liked feeling thinner
and got a lot of compliments. Soon she reduced the salad at lunch to a
carrot and a piece of cheese. Diane trimmed her dinner as well, telling
her parents that she had eaten a big lunch and was not hungry. Before
long, Diane had lost 20 pounds. But Diane was surprised that she did not
feel happy; instead, she was obsessed with food and her weight (she still
felt fat) and was embarrassed whenever anyone commented on her body.
Diane continued dieting and also began to exercise two times per day to
try to lose more weight.
Diane is not alone. Experts say that more than five million American
women and girls and one million men and boys suffer from eating disorders.
About 1 in 100 girls between 12 and 18 years old has an eating
disorder. As many as 1 in 10 college females has anorexia or bulimia.
More than 1,000 young women die each year from the serious medical
problems that develop due to eating disorders.
Young people who participate in sports that prize thinness are at
particularly high risk of developing eating disorders. Female dancers, ice
skaters, and gymnasts are three times more likely to develop an eating
disorder than girls not involved in such activities. Boys who participate
in similar sports or in wrestling are also at higher risk. Girls who enter
puberty early and girls who are overweight may also be more likely to
develop eating disorders.