Comfortable in your own skin?

Are you starving and striving to look like the model in a favourite ad? Well don't go too far because you might end up ruining your health. Rania Al Hussaini reports on some of the common eating disorders affecting young adults

Many young adults - if not all - are obsessed with their weight and are constantly striving for that perfect figure.

Peer pressure, images of lissome celebrities and models in the media and a regular reports on new diets that guarantee weight loss feed that obsession.

Often the zeal to lose weight leads them unhealthy diets and subsequently to eating disorders.

A while back an Evening Standard report highlighted a survey that said teenage girls in the UK hate their bodies so much that more than two-thirds would consider plastic surgery.

"One in five of the 12- to 18-year-old girls questioned said they would submit to the surgeon's knife right now. Another 50 per cent would consider surgery in the future."

A study on college students in the US, reported by Reuters, says women are more likely to think they need to lose weight than men are, and more likely to diet.

"Eating habits tend to worsen in the young adult years, and college students often eat too much fat and sodium and too few fruits and vegetables, according to Dr. Judy A. Driskell of the University of Nebraska and her team.

"They investigated how a student's gender influenced their eating habits and beliefs about nutrition by surveying 286 undergraduates."

Notes decided to check out how conscious UAE students are about their looks.

What is anorexia?
Shaila Menon, psychologist at the Dubai Community Health Centre, highlights anorexia one of the more common eating disorders, its symptoms and how it can be tackled.

Anorexia is an eating disorder characterised by a significant weight loss resulting from excessive dieting and starvation.

What causes it?

• Biological factors: One's genes and hormones may contribute to the onset of the disorder.
• Cultural factors: Some cultures, movie stars, model figures, beauty contests promote an ideal of extreme thinness.

"Celebrities resemble youth characteristics, so the youth associate with them. Especially many celebrities are now from that age group - like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and so on.

"Many girls look up to them and try to imitate them by having the same goals such as becoming millionaires and famous at a young age.

"And since some celebrities might have had similar life experiences as some girls, they tend to develop this bonding with these celebrities," said Menon.

"Girls are affected by the perfect figures of celebrities and how people are drawn to their figures. And because people like how celebrities carry themselves, and how they take care for their figures, girls start copying that. However this affects their self esteem, confidence, and their well being" she added.

Personal feelings: Someone with anorexia may feel badly about herself, feel helpless, and hate the way she looks. She has unrealistic expectations of herself and strives for perfection. She feels worthless, despite achievements and perceives a social pressure to be thin.

"Young girls feel pressured to be thin because if they aren't, they feel they will be isolated," said Menon.

Stressful events or life changes: Starting a new school or job or being bullied, peer pressure, bad food habits at home and traumatic events can lead to anorexia.

Families: People with a mother or sister with anorexia are more likely to develop the disorder. Parents who think appearance is very important, go on a diet routine, and criticise their children's bodies are more likely to have a child with anorexia.

Signs and Symptoms

• n Noticeable weight loss
• n Becoming withdrawn
• Excessive exercising
• Obsessed with calorie intake
• Muscle weakness
• Restricting food choices to diet foods
• Guilt or shame about eating, especially in public
• Depression, irritability, mood swings
• Evidence of vomiting, laxative abuse, diet pills
• Irregular menstruation and/or amenorrhea (loss of menstruation)
• Headaches
• Perfectionist attitude

Who are the anorexics?

• Anorexics consider themselves to be fat no matter what their actual weight is.
• Anorexic weight loss is usually 15 per cent below the person's normal body weight.
• Anorexics will try to avoid food whenever possible.
• Anorexics usually strive for perfection.
• They may feel the only control they have in their lives is in the area of food and weight.
• They will weigh themselves everyday.
• Anorexics feel powerful and in control when they can make themselves lose weight.
• An estimated 10 to 20 per cent affected will eventually die from complications related to anorexia.

Source: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/h_eating/h_e ating.htm

Parents' Role
"The family shouldn't highlight anorexics' thinness. They should give them positive feedback, treat them with a positive attitude and highlight their positive characteristics.

"They also should give support and show honest affection verbally and emotionally, however without blaming them or feeling pity for them," says Menon.

The media must take some blame
The media, modelling agencies and advertisements are to blame to some extent for contributing to the deteriorating physical health and weight of young people.

"The media and celebrities are the best, effective parties to send a message to young girls, because people look up at them. Hence, they are responsible for eliminating this obsession with thinness, by aspiring and encouraging healthy figures," says Menon.