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Yasmin Martinez WRI 1 4-5:50 p.m. Mr. Matt Moberly December 9, 2013 Living without Knowledge Eating disorders are a big problem in the U.S. People become obsessed and cant control how they eat each day. In effect, They are everybodys sister, daughter, wife, and friend. You know someone with an eating disorder. You may not be able to spot it necessarily but people with these disorder are living among us (Prah 123).We tend not to talk about eating disorders or inform about it to schools or society. Is this the right thing to do though? There are three main types of eating disorder: anorexia, bulimia, and binging. Both men and women get eating disorders. However, we tend to say women are the only ones who get eating disorder due to majority of the cases coming from women. Some eating disorders are based on religion, background, or influence to gain or lose weight. While the overall population tends to think eating disorder arent a big problem to face, more and more people suffer from this disorder. If we have eating disorder classes in schools, childrens will start to learn how severe eating disorders are. Eating disorder awareness needs to be implemented toward our youths classes to prevent, help, and stop children from getting anorexia, bulimia, and binging- now. Eating Disorders are physiological disorders that make a person want to eat more or less. The main types of eating disorder are: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binged eating. Anorexia nervosa occurs when people do not eat enough or at all, thinking theyre overweight, which in reality theyre thinner than what they think they are. Bulimia occurs when people start vomiting

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to get the food out of their system or also eating too much. Binge eating is when they eat a lot for one day and then starve themselves for the rest of the day, or week. Other ways people Binge is by eating too little but exercising too much. With this, Eating, food, and weight control become obsessions (Eating Disorders 2). Each and every one of these disorder are not being presented to children in schools, for example, youth schools like elementary and middle schools. During k-8 grade, children tend to capture knowledge on materials they need to know before entering high school. With this in mind, teaching children about eating disorders at a young stage, will help them learn how to eat properly, what type of foods to eat, how to control their weight or simply how many portions of food they should have each day. Doing this will prevent any future matter. Furthermore, waiting to put eating disorder awareness in youths school could lead to harsh ship. According to someone Early intervention is crucial. The sooner one gets help, the greater the likelihood that they will get better. Without early intervention eating disorders may become chronic, or even fatal (Mulheim). When a child is diagnose to an Eating Disorder, getting cured is tough. There are a lot of ways to get treatment with these disorders: therapy, medication and family support. The child or victim could go through cognitive therapy, solving out the problem on why they thing there fat or look different from the rest. Other ways is by taking medication that controls hunger, however, this doesnt help out in trying to gain weight because Although research is still ongoing, no medication yet has shown to be effective in helping someone gain weight to reach a normal level (Eating Disorder 5). Recall, getting treated by any eating disorder has consequences and a lot of expensive. Not every parents has money floating around to waist on their child who couldve been prevented from getting an eating disorder in the first place. On accordance of, Inpatient care for an eating disorder can cost

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up to $30,000, a month and more than $100,000 for outpatient therapy (Prah 125). Which means if this had been presented to childrens, parents and their child wouldnt have to undergo costly therapy and costly medications. Which will also decrease the death rate of eating disorders in U.S. One cannot deny that eating disorders have a huge impact in U.S. In fact, There has been a steady increase in the prevalence of eating disorder, especial among children and preteens (School Obesity). Not teaching young childrens about the bad causes of eating disorders could potentially increases the harm of innocent children. Because in reality they were never taught to eat healthy, or know the consequences of eating unhealthy. Moreover, Childrens look up to us and see every step, or move we make. If they see grownups eating junk food or saying the phrase, Im fat then childrens are going to do the same thing and eat junk food because they feel thats the right thing to do. Yet, if eating disorder isnt presented in schools then students wont care to learn about eating disorders and the harm it partakes. Theyre going to feel that if there not being presented about eating disorders in schools, then it must not be as important to them and their future lives. So putting these awareness classes where it implements what eating disorder can do to a person will be benefit and teach youth what not to do when choosing bad habits to get thinner. Lastly childrens will correspondingly be more aware of not only one material but three materials that have a vast majority of impact on a childs life: drugs, sex education, and eating disorders. Admittedly, Schools should provide an environment that promotes and models healthy behaviors and healthy body image (Mulheim). Having youth schools without knowledge on eating disorder is the main cause to why young children get anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. The number of people diagnose with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating will eventually decrease

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once these awareness classes are inputted to youth schools. However, despite my reasoning of why eating disorder classes are good resources for future generation childrens. Others say we already have classes so why should we have another one and investment on it. Yes, we do have classes but, not a class where it teaches them about eating disorders. Since schools already have program teaching children about drugs or how to stay protected from any sexual activity, then why not add another system where it teaches children about way to prevent eating disorder? With these classes, teacher will be able to show their students videos of real survivals and their outcome of living through an eating disorder. Moreover, teachers could teach them better ways to stay healthy and eat properly without having to starve themselves. This class can even be taught before going to lunch and then have them have physical education (P.E) right after lunch. This way theyre taught how to eat healthy and then how to exercise and remove some of the calories they gained during lunch. With this in mind obesity and eating disorders will decrease. Childrens will be able to enjoy eating whatever they like or want, and not have to worry about gaining pounds once their done with their exercise in P.E. As a result, its better to know more than know nothing at the end of the day. Although my opinion is that youth students in elementary, and middle schools should start having classes that teach about eating disorders, some people have opposing views and believe they shouldnt be imputed toward our schools. Why? Some believe its too early to start teaching them about eating disorders because they are not mature enough to understand. However, what they fell to understand is that Theres already cases that deal with seven years old and eight year old teens going through a type of eating disorder ( Prah par 2). Eating disorder is not a problem one faces when theyre in college or adults. This is something that starts at a young age. Even back in the days, there were cases that involved girls and boys going

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through these horrific eating disorders. So with this said, there isnt a specific age where a person needs to learn knowledge on a topic that has death, and pain involved. The better a person knows about something like eating disorder, the better that that person will live. So by teaching children at whatever age (preferably youth children) will help them understand what eating disorder can do to them. If we dont step a foot down and teach childrens knowledge, then we will continue on having more cases dealing with youth, teens, and adults going through any type of eating disorders. Ultimately, it is apparent that childrens in youth classes are not getting enough education on eating disorder. Putting an awareness program into schools will decrease anorexia, bulimia, and other types of eating disorders. This is important because children will no longer suffer from these disorders and parents wouldnt have to go through any expensive cost of medication, and therapy cost. Childrens will also learn ways to help prevent getting an eating disorders or simply stop them from getting one at all. Lets make one more change and make a difference like we have done with drugs and sex education awareness program in schools.

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Works Cited Eating Disorders National Institute of Mental Health. Science Writing, Press & Dissemination Branch, n.d. Web. Oct.-Nov. 2013. Muhlheim, Lauren. "Addressing Eating Disorders in Middle and High Schools, by Lauren Mulheim." Eating Disorders in Middle and High Schools, by Lauren Mulheim. Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders, n.d. Web. Oct.-Nov. 2013. Prah, Pamela M. Eating Disorders. Published by CQ press, a division of congressional Quarterly Inc. CQ Research 16 (2006): 121-44. 10 Feb. 2006. Web. Oct.Nov. 3012. School Obesity Programs May Promote Worrisome Eating Behaviors and Physical Activity in Kids. 14.2 (2012): n. pag. National Poll on Childrens Health, 24 Feb. 2012. Web. Oct.Nov. 2013.