Body Image- Self Esteem- Eating Disorders
Mental Health Week
2010
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Body Image
Our bodies are all different and individual
Body image is the picture that a person forms of their body in their mind based on feelings and judgements and sometimes it is different than what we see in the mirror.
Self-esteem is how much a person values or accepts themselves for who and what they are.
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Everyday we are surrounded by photos of models in magazines, television and internet
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What is real?
Often people ‘airbrush’ or photoshop faces and bodies and spend hours with a makeup artist and hairdresser
Girls are often encouraged to lose weight
Boys are often encouraged to bulk up
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13/04/23 11Dove Beauty Campaign
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Body Image Stats•Body dissatisfaction is increasing and occurring at younger ages. Attitudes towards thinness and ideal body size are formed as early as age 3. By school age, girls fear looking fat more than losing their parents, getting cancer or a nuclear war (Cramer & Steinwert, 2008).
•An Australian study found that 74% of women aged 18-22 wanted to weigh less and that only 25% of women in the “healthy weight range” were happy with their weight (Paxton, 2008)
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Body Image and Guys
•Male body image dissatisfaction has tripled in the last 25 years.
•10% of individuals diagnosed with anorexia are male.
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Influences on Body Image
Culture (Music, Fashion) Media (TV, internet, magazines) Diet businesses (Sure Slim, Weight
Watchers, Lite and Easy) Peers, friendships, family and
relationships. Events and activities (PE, swimming
sports etc)
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Body Image
Think of 3 things you don’t like about your body.
Think of 3 things you do like about your body.
What was hardest to do?
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Diets
A restriction in the amount or type of food in order to alter body shape or size.
On any given day, about 60% of Australian women are on some sort of diet (Paxton, 2008).
1 in 4 seven to 10 year olds have dieted to lose weight (Gray, 2008).
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Diets
A study involving Victorian students age 12 to 17 yrs classified over 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 10 boys as “extreme dieters” making them at risk of an eating disorder (Patton et
al, 2008).
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Why Diets Don’t Work
Diets have been linked to a range of health difficulties which include bad breath, fatigue, over-eating, headaches, muscle cramps, constipation, sleep disturbance and loss of bone density.
Deprivation can result in depression, anxiety, feelings of guilt and emotional instability. Adolescent girl extreme dieters are 18% more likely to develop an eating disorder.
95% of people who go on weight loss diets regain everything they have lost plus more within two years.
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What is An Eating Disorder?
The two most common disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
Both are preoccupied with control over their body weight
People with anorexia control the amounts of food they eat
People with bulimia tend to feel out of control where food is concerned
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Eating Disorder Stats Eating disorders affect approximately
2-3% of the general population.
Anorexia is the the 3rd most common disease in Australian females aged 15-24 yrs.
Eating disorders most typically commence in adolescence and early adulthood.
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Eating Disorder Stats
Eating disorders are occurring at younger ages including diagnosis of anorexia at age 6. 3% of reported cases are in pre-pubescent children.
It is estimated that only about 10% of cases of bulimia in the Australian community are detected (Sulivan, 1995).
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Types of Eating Disorders
Anorexia nervosa A loss of at least 15% of body weight due to
dieting Intense fear of becoming “fat” Body image issue i.e. feeling “fat” despite
being underweight Can spend lots of time preparing food for
others A tendency to exercise obsessively Make lists of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods
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Types of Eating Disorders
Bulimia Nervosa Eating binges of large amounts of food,
often secretly Binge then try to avoid weight gain by
making themselves vomit, taking laxatives or diet pills, excessive exercise or strict dieting
Sense of loss of control and /or shame
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Copycat behavior
At times students imitate the behaviour of their friend
Students way of: Dealing with their own fear Trying to related to their friend Trying to understand the illness Feeling special or unusual
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Interesting??
Researches investigated the impact of introducing western television into the area of Nadroga in Fiji. Three years after the introduction of TV the rate of self-induced vomiting for weight control had risen from 0 to 11.3% (Becker, 1995).
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What can cause Eating Disorders?
There is no single cause
Eating disorders are complex conditions caused by a combination of factors
Girls are more likely to be affected
An eating disorder can be triggered by Life crisis – family loss, friendship loss, moving to a new
home, school or job or personal disappointment Weight loss due to dieting Stress without good coping skills
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Signs of an Eating Disorder - Physical
Significant and rapid weight loss or fluctuations.
Loss or thinning hair. Skin and nail
problems. Abdominal Problems. Fatigue. Dental Problems (due
to vomiting). Sensitivity to cold.
Stress Fractures. Loss of periods. Growth of fine body
hair. Insomnia. Low blood pressure. Arrhythmia and or
Brachycardia. Poor immunity. Sexual dysfunction.
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Signs of an Eating Disorder – Behavioural
Very restricted diet (amounts and types).
Avoids situations involving eating or sharing meals eg takes meals to room.
Social isolation to protect restrictive behaviours.
Frequent weighing. Compulsively counting
calories and fat. Binge/purge type
activity.
Obsessive pre-occupation with foods that may have not been present before eg wanting to cook for others.
Excessive Exercise Frequent verbalisations
regarding feeling fat and low body esteem.
Over use of diet pills and products, supplements and laxatives.
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Where to get help?
If you are concerned about yourself or someone else it is important to seek help
People that you can talk to- your family, a teacher, GP/Doctor
All information for this presentation is from www.betterhealthchannel.vic.gov.au or www.eatingdisorders.org.au
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