Nedaw

Hundreds of colleges across the country are celebrating National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAW) this week, February 26th through March 4th. This year, schools have come up with some exceptionally creative ways to promote the importance of maintaining a healthy body image and how to balance eating and exercise.

On “Not-So-Fat-Tuesday,” students at Sullivan University in Louisville, KY have a loaded menu of events and foods to choose from that promote healthful eating including a booth staffed by Whole Food Markets, Inc. Brigham Young University is sponsoring a week of themed days including “Mirrorless Monday” a day in which all of the mirrors in the Student Center restrooms are covered to promote less focus on body image and “No Weigh Wednesday” a day that students are encouraged to not weigh themselves. Central Michigan University is going with the theme that sometimes the best way to make a point is to not say anything at all. On a designated “Day of Silence,” volunteers will quietly pass out purple ribbons and fliers with statistics about eating disorders.

In addition to the themed events, close to 400 colleges will offer free, anonymous screenings for eating disorders through the National Eating Disorders Screening Program®, which is offered in conjunction with NEDAW. The program offers students the opportunity to either take an in-person written screening or an online screening, that includes customized information on how to access services through the school’s health or counseling center.

Why are colleges drawing so much attention to eating disorders? “Eating disorders can no longer be kept a secret. Most people know someone who has struggled with an eating disorder. In fact, studies show that 24 million Americans – many of them of college-age – currently suffer from an eating disorder,” says Sondra Kronberg, MS, RD, CDN, executive director of NEDA Long Island.

According to the results of the online National Eating Disorders Awareness Program, symptoms of eating disorders among college students have increased over the past couple of years. In the 2002-2003 academic year, 55.7% students who completed an online screening scored positive for symptoms consistent with an eating disorder. For 2003-2004, that number increased to 56.3% and jumped to 62% for the 2004-2005 academic year.

“College is a huge time of transition. You are thrust into unfamiliar surroundings and are expected to adapt and even excel. In order to gain a sense of control, students often turn to their weight as a means to gain back that control,” says Kronberg.

For more information on the National Eating Disorders Screening Program, visit the Screening for Mental Health website.  For more information on National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, visit the National Eating Disorders Association website.