It isn’t just obese teenagers who deal with weight issues. Many teenagers have eating disorders that are not always obvious to casual observers or family members. New research suggests that these weight issues may have common causes.

Researchers spent five years studying more than 2,500 teenagers. They found that 44 percent of the girls in the study and 29 percent of the boys were either overweight, habitual binge-eaters, or had used laxatives, diet pills, or vomiting to loose weight. Many of the children in the study suffer from more than one of these issues.

Girls who reported at the beginning of the study that a family member was teasing them about their weight were twice as likely as their peers to be overweight five years later. These same girls were 41 percent more likely to have tried unhealthy ways to loose weight during the five-year period. Other risk factors included having a mother who dieted and reading articles on weight loss. The researchers suggest that parents set an example of healthy eating and exercise instead of talking to their teens about losing weight.

Girls who frequently ate enjoyable meals with their families were less likely to have weight problems than girls who didn’t eat with their families. While there were equal numbers of boys and girls who were overweight, boys were less likely to engage in binge-eating or extreme dieting.

Another study suggests that an eating disorder is more severe if a person uses multiple methods of purging regardless of frequency of purging. Multiple methods may include self-induced vomiting, laxatives, and diuretics. The frequency of purging is significantly associated with depression and anxiety.
This information may change how doctors treat people with bulimia nervosa and purging disorder. Apparently, they have previously relied on the frequency of purging to determine how ill a person is and whether their recovery is progressing.

AdoptionWeek e-Magazine To subscribe visit AdoptionWeek.com

For information/instructions on how to subscribe FREE to your favorite AdoptionBlogs, please visit this link. your favorite AdoptionBlogs

Related Blogs about eating disorders:

Hoarding can be a Sign of Childhood Depression
My Child Doesn't Know She is Full
Children With Obesity Risk High Blood Pressure
What Contributes to Eating Disorders?
Bulimia in Children

First study SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2007.
Second Study SOURCE: International Journal of Eating Disorders, September 2007

Photo credit