Editor’s Note: The following is part of a series entitled “Common Concern Reruns”, where I will re-post a host of material from the previous iteration of Our Common Concern on blogspot. Unfortunately, many of these issues are as pressing in 2008 as they were in 2007 — so please do read them through, share your thoughts, and get involved. A special thanks to all of the guest bloggers who made these posts possible.

—–

An Update on Body Image

(Originally published March 4, 2007)

And now, Monica Mangual’s mid-week post on Body Image. Thank you to Monica and to everyone who’s helped address this concern!

—

Not only do many individuals suffer with explicit eating disorders, others struggle with body dissatisfaction and sub-clinical disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. For example, it has been shown that 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance. However, because there is a stigma regarding eating disorders, many individuals – especially male– live in silence about their lifestyle.

Learn More:

  • 46% of 9-11 year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets, and 82% of their families are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets
  • 91% of women recently surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting, 22% dieted “often” or “always”
  • 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight in 1-5 years
  • 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders
  • 25% of American men and 45% of American women are on a diet on any given day
  • Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year


Take Action:

- Eat when you are hungry
- Rest when you are tired.
- Surround yourself with people that remind you of your inner strength and beauty

And be sure to visit the website of National Eating Disorders Awareness (NEDA)