--“"Eating disorder" is when a person eats, or refuses to eat, in order to satisfy a psychic need and not a physical need. The person doesn't listen to bodily signals or perhaps is not even aware of them. A normal person eats when hungry and stops eating when the body doesn't need more, when he feels the signal of satisfaction.
Eating disorders are usually classified as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder in accordance with the symptoms. However, a person may have an eating disorder without belonging exactly to any of these categories.
Those who lose weight because of illness, e.g., cancer, are not considered to have an eating disorder.” –This quote is taken directly from the site,
--5 million women (NWHIC); 1-4% of young women in the United States have eating disorders.
--1 in 54 people in the United States alone has an eating disorder.
It was very hard to find online the true statistics of eating disorders in other countries, especially that in third world countries, as sheer numbers cannot take into account social, religious, and racial affects that those with eating disorders maybe experiencing. Yet, here are some statistics that I was able to find:
Iran
1,240,867
Iraq
466,446
Israel
113,952
Jordan
103,147
Kuwait
41,499
Lebanon
69,434
Saudi Arabia
474,190
Syria
331,192
United Arab Emirates
46,395
West Bank 42,485
Yemen
368,104
The left hand column tells the name if the country and the right hand column displays of the number of people, in a populated region with eating disorders.
Also, another fact to keep in mind is that of the condition of third world countries in comparison to the United States. Whereas we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world, third world countries are among the poorest. An effect of this fact is rampant male nutrition, high infant mortality, and overall improper health care. While the United States does share in the high instance of mortality rate, we still spend the most money on health care, and have enough food around to feed those who can afford it.
Also in the United States, there is more of an emphasis on the importance of body image and the way you are perceived by others. This has become one of the driving factors for the occurrence of eating disorders. While in third world countries, the main goal is really survival, and proper nutrition and eating for fuel for the body is what is portrayed in society. Therefore saying that not only does society and its norms and traditions, but the active role that family members take, and the toll that these circumstances have on the family are very important as well. When a person has an eating disorder, it affects everyone around them, especially because it is a disease that is out of their control, leaving people to sometimes feel helpless.
Discussion Questions: What do you think about the instances of eating disorders in third world and other countries?
How do you feel/what is your reaction to the affect that an eating disorder can have on the family?
What other factors do you think play into family lives and how eating disorders begin?
There was the questio about our perspectives on third world countries and eating disorders or food intakes -- I think it's interesting because I've never actually thought about eating disorders in third world countries. You know, when you talk about an eating disorder being not a physical thing, but a mental thing --- the lack of food in other countries doesn't mean that there aren't eating disorders present.
ReplyDeleteAmerican's view food as a wealth issue -- not the same way italians and romans viewed it hundreds of years ago where if you were fat you had money, but more of an, America as a nation can afford to have fat citizens (even if we really can't). But to generalize to the point of saying that third world countries don't deal with eating disorders, doesn't mean they really aren't present -- it just means that they're harder to see.
This post really is making me do research on eating disorders in other countries.
Ashley Brocker
Actually I believe many of the second and third world countries still associate being fat with wealth. I have heard friends of mine refer to it before. I am actally pretty suprised at the number of people with eating disorders in Iran. I didn't expect that.
ReplyDeleteI think a major cause of eating disorders would be mothers (or fathers). I have known many women who were anorexic whose mothers also were. A parent would be one of the first influences on a child's eating habits.
Kimberly Wabik