6th October 2010: The age at which people develop eating disorders is getting younger, according to a new survey by eating disorders support group Overeaters Anonymous GB.
The poll of more than 250 OA members revealed that more than half (53 per cent) said they first developed a problem with food when they were aged 10 years or younger. A further 29 per cent admitted they were between the age of 10 and 15 years old when their compulsive eating behaviour developed.
Maureen F, spokesperson for Overeaters Anonymous GB, said: “Some might find the results of the survey shocking, but as our members have underlined, it is not uncommon for us to see people who developed an eating disorder before they reached their teens.”
The survey results follow the first memorial service for young people who lost their lives to an eating disorder, held last week (28th September) at Southwark Cathedral. The occasion, organised by eating disorders charity Beat, was attended by more than 100 bereaved familes.
The OA survey also revealed the media may not play the powerful role in encouraging eating disorders we are led to believe. Just three per cent of those polled cited newspaper, magazine and television content as a major reason for developing their illness, while more than half (52%) felt that family problems and life events such as death or abuse had triggered their eating disorder.
OA member Nicky H, explains how her issues with food began before she reached her teens: “When I was about 11 I became aware of my changing body. Although I was slim I had a bit of puppy fat, which isn’t unusual for young girls, but I was paranoid about it and started comparing myself to others, wanting to be slimmer and prettier.
“I was also experiencing the usual adolescent difficulties with emotions and relationships and started dieting as a way of coping with these and to lose weight. I would restrict what I ate for a couple of weeks and exercise obsessively, lose some weight and feel great. But as soon as I ate any ‘forbidden’ food, it would trigger a huge binge and I’d put the weight straight back on, and more. This miserable cycle carried on for years.”
Maureen F concluded: “Eating disorders are complex illnesses and although our survey highlights general trends, every sufferer is different. OA provides members with a safe environment to discuss their feelings and get to the root of their compulsive behaviour and thinking about food, body shape and image, helping them on the road to recovery.”
Overeaters Anonymous GB offers a programme of recovery for anyone suffering from compulsive overeating, anorexia or bulimia, through its network of support meetings across the country. Based around the ‘Twelve Steps’ pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous, OA uses the same principles to help members improve their disordered relationship with food.
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Notes to editors
1. ‘One of the primary guidelines – or ‘Traditions’ – in Overeaters Anonymous states that members “need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television and other public media of communication.’ This means that the personal identity of OA members cannot be revealed in photographs, but they can be photographed if their identities are concealed, i.e. from behind, in shadow, etc. OA members can give interviews, so long as their surnames are not used in any subsequent article or programme.’
2. There are more than 175 organised Overeaters Anonymous groups across Great Britain which hold regular support meetings. Details can be found on the OA website www.oagb.org.uk and new members are welcome at any time.
3. The first OA meeting was held in 1960 in Los Angeles, California. OA now holds approximately 6,500 meetings in over 75 countries.
4. OA is not affiliated with any public or private organisation, political movement, ideology or religious doctrine and takes no position on outside issues. No membership dues or fees are required.
