The destructive results of crash dieting and the desire to be thin, and the danger of other eating disorders such as bulimia is mainstream knowledge.
But the job of educating the public and informing people of the warning signs to watch for remains an ongoing battle for Julie Dhaliwal, manager of the Northern Health Authority's eating disorder clinic.
"Eating disorders are really about the way a person is thinking and their behaviours toward food, eating, their body image and exercise," said Dhaliwal. "We live in a society that has lots of opinions about that so it can be confusing to find which is the right message. We often work from the premise of healthy eating and active living, and there needs to be a balance in your life."
As part of the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week activities, Northern Health is hosting an information session and question period open to the public tonight at
6:30 p.m. at the Prince George Public Library Bob Harkins branch, 887 Dominion St.
People with anorexia lose more weight than is considered healthy for their age and height, and even if they are underweight they might have an intense fear of weight gain or have an image of their own body that is distorted.
Bulimia nervosa involves binge eating and purging, or eating a large amount of food in a short time followed by forced vomiting or purging using laxatives, diuretics or excessive exercise. It can result in electrolyte imbalances that can cause abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks or death.
Continued vomiting can produce tears in the esophagus, while exposure to stomach acid will irritate the throat and can cause damage to tooth enamel.
A 2002 national study found 1.5 per cent of Canadian women aged 15 to 24 had an eating disorder. Anorexia or bulimia affects between 0.3 per cent and one per cent of female adolescents and young women in Canada.
Dhaliwal said eating disorders most commonly emerge in the transition years, when children are becoming youths and when teens are becoming adults. While females are more commonly affected, some males do develop eating disorders.
"It's seen widely as a female disorder, but it's not, it affects both male and female," said Dhaliwal. "I think there are a lot more males being affected by eating disorders who are not coming forward."
The Prince George outpatient clinic runs Monday to Friday at Northern Health's Nechako branch adjacent to the hospital at 1308 Alward St, offering services of adult and youth therapists, a part-time dietitian, and a part-time doctor.
