A nationwide survey in Canada will attempt to paint a clearer picture of eating disorders among young people. It will be the first-ever attempt to measure rates of bulimia in children ages five to eighteen:

The study is driven by a recent trend noticed by doctors who see eating disorders appear at earlier ages among children.

Researchers at [a] Toronto [hospital] were recently surprised to find binging and purging in children much younger than 12, an age previously believed to be about the lowest threshold for such behaviors. (Source: Canada.com)

Dr. Leora Pinhas, psychiatric director of the eating disorders program at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, told Canada.com that he hopes the study will help doctors better understand how widespread the issue of bulimia is, and which children are most susceptible.

Labels: eating disorders, youth, canda, study

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have put out a call for local families that have a child between the ages of 12 and 18 suffering from anorexia and are willing to be part of a 16-week study. The study will compare two types of family therapy.

"One will teach families 're-feeding.' It will include a session where a counselor observes a family meal to determine how its dynamics have changed and how effective parents can be at encouraging their children to eat adequate amounts of food."

The second method will focus more on family counseling and dealing with adolescent issues that may trigger eating disorders. The study is being funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and will take place at six locations across the United States. Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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A study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found that the more someone understands the genetics behind anorexia, the less likely he or she is to blame an anorexic patient for their illness.

"'This is a potentially important finding because it suggests that wide dissemination of information about the biological and genetic underpinnings of anorexia nervosa could help decrease the blame-based stigma that is associated with the disorder,' study author Michele A. Crisafulli said in a prepared statement."

The study was conducted with 115 undergraduate nursing students who were given information either about the genetic and biological factors or the environmental factors of eating disorders, and were then asked to rate factors that might contribute to anorexia. Students who read about the genetics and biology were less likely to blame the patient for his or her condition.

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Labels: causes of eating disorders, study, genes

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A recent study by Harvard Medical school found a higher than expected prevalence of binge eating disorders among Latinos. The study consisted of over 2,500 people - 1,127 males and 1,447 females.

"'This was the first really national study of this issue,' [Margarita Alegria] said. 'And while we thought the rates would be what we found for anorexia, we didn't expect binge eating to be so high and the access to treatment so low.'"

Alegria, the principal investigator in the study, said binge eating may be partially attributed to the Latino lifestyle. The study also found that the prevalence of eating disorders increased the longer someone has been living in the United States. Read more at TheCrimson.com.

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Labels: treatment, research, study

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