Anorexia In Teens
Teenage Eating Disorders Statistics Are On The Rise

Anorexia in teens is more prevalent now than in the entire history of anorexia. Many of the issues discussed here could be reasons why teenage eating disorders statistics continue to rise.

Anorexia In Teens

Not only are eating disorders and the media a challenge to deal with, but teens have an enormous amount of pressure to fit in and be accepted by their peers.

All of this is happening while major physical and physiological changes are going on in their bodies - (i.e. puberty).

Teens typically become more emotional, and at the same they're trying to establish their own identity, friendships and independence.

Anorexia In Teens - Statistics On Adolescent Eating Disorders

I have sifted through pages (and pages!) of statistical information and compiled the following list of stats regarding anorexia in teens, and adolescent eating disorders in general:

• 12.3% of North American high school students have gone without eating for 24 hours or more
  2005 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
• 6.3% of U.S. high school students have taken some form of weight loss supplement (i.e. pills) without medical advice
  2005 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
• 28% of Canadian girls in grade nine, and 29% of girls in grade ten are already dieting in some way
  Boyce, W. F. (2004). Young people in Canada: their health and well-being. Ottawa, Ontario: Health Canada
• In the U.S., 4.5% of students admitted to taking laxatives to lose weight
  2005 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
• Thirty-seven percent of girls in grade nine and 40% in grade ten think they're too fat.
  Boyce, W. F., King, M. A. & Roche, J. (2008). Healthy Living and Healthy Weight.
• A survey of adolescents in grades 7-12 revealed that 30% of girls and 25% of boys have been teased by friends about their weight
  2003 - Associations of Weight-Based Teasing and Emotional Well-Being Among Adolescents.
• According to one study, girls who reported teasing by family members were 1.5 times more likely to use extreme weight control measures five years later
  Neumark-Sztainer, (2007). Risk and Protective Factors for Disordered Eating in Adolescents. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 33(5), 359-369.

It's pretty obvious that there are many factors that contribute to the onset of anorexia in teens. It can be a very confusing time for them, and I think the teasing and bullying would be especially difficult to take.

Read more about the effects of bullying.

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