Teenage Dieting

According to the CASA Report: Food for Thought: Substance Abuse and Eating Disorders (2003):

While only 15% of teenage boys and girls can be classified as overweight:

Girls Boys
62.3% 28.8% Report Trying to lose weight

58.6% 28.2% Are Actively Dieting

68.4% 51% Exercise with goal of losing weight or to avoid gaining

19.1% 7.6% Have Fasted for more than 24 hours

12.6% 5.5% Use Diet Pills, powders, or liquids

7.8% 2.9% Vomit or take laxatives to lose weight or avoid gaining

Katie Goode, LMFT
www.HolisticTherapyOC.com

Eating Disorder Prevalence

How Prevalent Are Eating Disorders in the US?

Consider these very serious statistics:

* Research reveals that 40-60% of girls in high school perceive themselves to be overweight and are actively trying to lose weight.
* Approximately 10-15% of these girls can be considered “chronic dieters,” two-thirds of whom are not overweight.
* Ninety percent of eating disorder sufferers are female.
* Girls are particularly vulnerable to the development of body dissatisfaction, unhealthy dieting behaviors and eating disorders.
* An estimated 10 million American women and girls and 1 million men and boys have active, destructive eating disorders — including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder.
* Eating disorders are serious health conditions with and anorexia has one of the highest death rates of any mental illness.

Katie Goode, LMFT
www.HolisticTherapyOC.com