by Adrienne Jones

Created on: May 28, 2008   Last Updated: May 29, 2008

We hear it every day, whether it is on television, an article I the news paper, or on a billboard. America has a serious obesity problem. It is true that 58 million Americans are overweight and 40 are considered obese and while these are frightening statistics there is another serious issue that seems to be greatly overlooked.

Anorexia and Bulimia are very dire and real dilemmas in our country. However, what may be even more terrifying is the lack of public concern for these diseases. While it is considerably smaller eight million American suffer from eating disorders, seven million are females. It is true that obesity and resulting illnesses such as heart disease are much more deadly but to only concentrate on one side of the spectrum is irresponsible.

Americans, particularly females are continually told through the media and even peers what their bodies should look like. The pressure of being that "perfect size zero" can be extremely overwhelming especially for younger girls. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders 50 percent of American girls between the ages of eleven and thirteen consider themselves to be overweight. An even more disturbing statistic shows the mortality rate is twelve times higher than all causes of death for girl between fifteen and twenty-four years of age.

It is no surprise that these statistics are so high if you take a look at our culture. By simply flipping through a magazine one can see that America has set a dangerous standard for beauty. Every model, singer, or actress has dieted to the point of being nothing more than skin stretched across bone. The pressure to be thin, coupled by the belief that weight determines beauty lays the groundwork for these diseases. And though the statistics may be smaller than obesity, they are still deadly. Five to ten percent of individuals suffering from an eating disorder die within ten years of contracting the disease and eighteen to twenty percent die within twenty years. Eating disorders are also having a staggering recovery rate of only thirty to forty percent. This is due to a number of reasons such as the severity of the disease and the cost of treatment.

So why is it we have overlooked and possibly even ignored the diseases despite their seriousness? When will we begin to reevaluate our ideas of beauty and start reinforcing the realistic body image? Perhaps individuals on both ends of the spectrum can benefit from a change in what our society perceives to beautiful. A logical solution that can help lower the statistics for both of these conditions is to start taking health education more seriously. Teaching children the importance of exercise and a healthy diet while instilling in them a realistic view of a healthy weight should be a priority.

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