Children as young as five seeking help for eating disorders
Posted Aug 9, 2011 12:58:10 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
New findings show obesity prevention programs in schools may be doing more harm than good, according to a report that says doctors are finding kids as young as age five are being treated for anorexia and bulimia.
A 2005 study regarding early-onset eating disorders found that anorexia has been on the rise over the last 50 years and is the third most common chronic illness affecting adolescent girls.
In Ontario, there are less than 20 hospital beds, split among Toronto, Ottawa and London, for kids and teens seeking treatment for eating disorders and there’s always a waiting list.
The doctors at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children told the Ottawa Citizen the pressure of sports like gymnastics, skating and ballet, where height and weight can affect the child’s chances for being competitive, are compounding the problem because kids are told to lose weight for reward.
