Glencoe Health © 2007

Introduction:
Eating disorders are very common in America. Between 5 and 10 million people have them, and experts estimate that 1% of American teens have an eating disorder. But what causes eating disorders to develop and what can be done to prevent them? On the Web site below you will learn about some of the complex issues surrounding these disorders.

Links to Explore:
Something Fishy: Eating Disorders
http://www.somethingfishy.org/prevention/what.php

Directions:

• Go to the Something Fishy Web site and read through the page on the causes of eating disorders. Then, click on the links and read the pages on “Society” and “Food and Eating.”
  
• When you are finished reading, answer the following questions:
  
  

1.			What is the one symptom that all people with an eating disorder have?
2.			What are three ways the media contributes to dieting and size discrimination?
3.			How does lack of education contribute to the development of eating disorders in teens?
4.			Which three groups of people are especially at risk of developing eating disorders?
5.			What is one of the biggest mistakes made with kids with regards to food?