According to new data from the United Kingdom's food watchdog agency, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), teenage girls eat less healthfully than any other group.

In a recent survey, the FSA found that girls ages 11 to 18 were the most likely to consume food and beverages high in sugar and fat, and the least likely to eat foods that provide nutrients essential to healthy growth, such as iron and calcium. As many as 46 percent of teenage girls were failing to consume the minimum recommended amounts of magnesium and iron, and only 7 percent were eating the recommended five servings per day of fruits and vegetables.

Dr. Alison Tedstone, the FSA's head of nutritional science, said the issue was a concern and added: "Broadly, teenage girls particularly don't eat enough. Overall they are a group of the population whose diets are poor. Young children's diets are generally OK, adults generally a similar picture, adolescents generally are poor. That's been the picture for a number of years."

A spokeswoman for the UK eating disorders charity Beat commented on the FSA's findings: "This report is not really surprising but it is depressing. We must do more to both educate and support teenage girls both to eat more and eat more healthily. In a world where teenage girls read magazines filled with often confusing and contradictory messages about food and dieting, it is not enough to police the school canteen. Teenage girls and indeed all teenagers need to have a better understanding of how healthy eating is a key part of ensuring long-term health."

(Source: guardian.co.uk)

Labels: teen, girls

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

According to recent data, England has recently seen a sharp rise in the number of girls under the age of 18 being admitted to hospitals with eating disorders. Hospital admissions where an eating disorder was the primary diagnosis rose from 562 in 2003-2004 to 825 in 2007-2008 (a 47 percent jump). In addition, a 25 percent increase in admissions for girls under the age of 9 was noted during the same time period.

Norman Lamb, a Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, commented on the trend: "This dramatic increase in hospital admissions is a tragic indictment of the government's failure to tackle the problems of eating disorders. ... Access to support services is dreadfully inadequate in many parts of the country. & Early intervention can make a massive difference in these cases and prevent a descent into crisis. & Children shouldn't be getting to the stage where they are so ill they need to be hospitalised before they get help."

(Source: www.nursingtimes.net)

Labels: eating disorder, girls, england

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

According to data from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), four out of 10 girls in grades 1 through 3 want to be thinner. In addition, more than two out of three girls would prefer to be seen as "mean" or "stupid" than overweight. In recent years, eating disorder treatment experts have noticed an increase in unhealthy and disordered eating in elementary school-age kids. According to Cheryl Dellasega, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Medicine at Pennsylvania State University, she and her colleagues are now seeing very young children with eating disorders. She states, "Our Eating Disorder Unit is treating very young kids-9 years and perhaps even younger."

(Source: health.msn.com)

Labels: eating disorder, girls

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Halse Andersen, a National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author, has written a young adult novel that may be an important read for anyone who is interested in the welfare of a teenage girl. The novel, Wintergirls, is narrated by Lia, an anorexic high school senior who has lost her best friend to a bulimia-related death. Lia, who is in the advanced stages of anorexia herself, believes that weighing 99 pounds at 5 feet 5 inches tall is "hideously fat." The novel reveals, among other important things, that young girls in America have access to surprising support to get and stay thin, including pro-anorexia chat rooms and websites that give tips on how to cut calories down to 500 per day (less than half of a young woman's required nutritional intake), as well as friends and classmates (Lia and her best friend vow to always be thin and support each other's eating habits). (Source: www.tampabay.com)

Labels: anorexia, girls

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Most girls and young women who play sports are healthy, competitive athletes. Some, however, take the competition too far, and find themselves battling eating disorders.

“Kimberly Dennis said she did have an eating disorder when she played basketball, volleyball and soccer… Dennis is now Dr. Dennis and Medical Director at Chicago’s Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. Dr. Dennis says individual sports like diving and gymnastics pose a greater risk for female athletes but all sports put young girls at more risk than the general population.” - Source: The 33 News (Dallas-Ft. Worth)

Some girls are genetically predisposed, while others are perfectionists. Both put girls at high risk. Kenny Medina, a girls’ soccer coach, says she watches for signs of eating disorders in her players. Changes in eating patterns and noticeable weight loss are signals that something is wrong.

On a related topic, experts have also studied the prevalence of eating disorders among male athletes.

 

Labels: girls, athletes

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

When Lisa and Sheila Himmel published their book Hungry: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia, they became recognized as experts on the topic of eating disorders among girls.

Suddenly, they were being invited to speak to high school students, parents, and even pediatricians – many of whom who admitted having several patients about which they were worried.

“They had patients, some as young as eight, with serious eating disorders that could become life-threatening… Dr. Frederick Llyod told me, ‘I’ve never had to hospitalize on that first visit. My usual strategy is to listen to the family and the child’s concerns, which is most often weight loss. The child almost always feels there is not a problem and they are in control.’” [Source: Psychology Today]

Pediatricians are often the first medical personnel made aware of a young person’s eating disorder. They have the unique opportunity of offering help and intervention before the disorder becomes truly dangerous.

 

Labels: girls, pediatricians

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments