With the world preoccupied with the dangers of obesity, could it be fueling people to turn to disordered eating?
Eating disorders are definitely on the rise, especially in school-aged children. Although concerns about overweight children surely need a resolution, not at the expense of fueling anorexia or bulimia.
"There are also fears that the intense focus on obesity is actually exacerbating the problem of eating disorders - we are now hearing about kids in primary school going on starvation diets in an attempt to look thinner," states federal Labor MP Anna Burke, in Sydney, Australia.
By promoting the dangers of obesity as a doom and gloom scenario, young children become confused and scared at the prospect of becoming fat. Instead of leading them to adopt healthy lifestyle choices, though, it often encourages them to start dieting or starving themselves in their terror of gaining weight.
