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Article #277: Eating Disorders in Very Young Children

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The astronomic rise in the number of development of eating disorders in
children suffering from eating disorders children. Children often see their
is very disturbing. According to recent parents as their idols, their heroes,
studies, approximately 40% of today's their role models. So what would the
children aged nine have already tried children think if their parents are
dieting to various extents. If you find preoccupied with their own bodies and
this disquieting enough, what would you their weights? When the parents express
feel if I told you that researchers also apparent dislike towards their bodies,
found out that there is a rising trend of the children will perceive that weight
children ranging from four to five years and appearance are very important.
old expressing their need to diet? Why In some cases, the parents might
are our children feeling this way? Why mistakenly take baby fat as actual fat
do they express the need to diet? What and force a child to diet. This can be a
are we doing wrong? form of robbing a child of his or her
Research has pointed out several factors, childhood and can be considered an
which may have contributed to this extremely cruel act.
ever-increasing trend of eating disorders In other families, a double standard is
in children. Among those worthy of imposed allowing boys to eat to their
mention are emotional or psychological hearts' content while limiting the food
trauma, family and the media. intake of girls. This is so that boys
Events that result in emotional or can have well-built and muscular bodies
psychological trauma predispose a child (a must for the macho society) while the
to develop eating disorders. It was girls maintain a slender figure (again a
noted that children who were brought up dictate of the society). Most mothers
in dysfunctional families were more prone even take a step further and lecture
to acquire the disease than those their daughters how important it is to
children raised in loving environments have a thin figure for them to find
were. This is also true in cases where happiness and a man that will love them
children are raised in environments where when they grow up.
feelings are not allowed to be expressed. The media also helps spread the notion
In both settings, children's emotions that being thin is a central factor for
are bottled up prompting them to turn to success and happiness. Along with
food for comfort or to help them deal promoting the newest in kids' fashion
with what they are feeling. They might comes the media's endorsement of the
latch on to food and eating to release "ideal figure". Media makes the kids
their pent up anger, frustration, want to wear the newest designer clothes,
sadness, hurt, fear, feeling of be adorned with the latest accessories
abandonment and pain. and look "perfect" wearing them. As a
Children who were victims of emotional or result, the children strive to achieve
physical abuse are also at high risk of the society's idea of a "perfect figure"
developing the disease. They might try and this sets the stage for the
to relieve their feelings and try to gain development of the disease.
control of an otherwise unmanageable Eating disorders can be very disastrous,
situation by resorting to food and even more so for the young bodies of our
controlling their eating habits. They children. Let us not push them towards
might try to avoid food in an effort to the hands of these harmful evil. Let us
control their weight so that they might teach our children to accept and love
"disappear" and not go through the abuse themselves by loving them
anymore. unconditionally, whatever size or shape
Family also plays a crucial role in the they might be.






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