HEALTHY FOOD · MAY 2018
THE EATING
DISORDER
GENDER GAP:
Why does it exist?
Which way does it skew?
P
hysicians and researchers have surmised
for decades that eating disorders like
anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are
far more common with women because
women are more likely to diet throughout
their lifetime. This stems from extreme societal
pressures on women to have the “perfect” body and be
in the “best” shape.
By the time girls reach puberty, they have been
inundated with images and data telling them how they
should look. Intense pressure is abundant from all
mediums dictate that they should be thin. This pressure
leads to poor body image, turmoil, stress, depression,
role confusion, among many other issues that stoke the
dieting fires. In time, for some girls, these risk factors
are the basis for the development of an eating disorder.
Because societal pressures are rampant for young
women and girls, this disorder affects them in much
more significant numbers.
While eating disorders
can and do impact
females and males,
comparatively the
numbers of males who
are diagnosed with it
are far less. Females
in studies have shown
more severe pathology.
Conversely, males present much
younger than their female
counterparts, with the average age
being less than twelve-years-old.
Females typically seek treatment
by emergency interventions or to
deal with comorbidities like mouth
sores, stomach ailments, or other
issues. Males tend to present with
different complaints. Both sexes do
not differ in the duration of their
illness. Both will undergo many
tests and procedures or require
hospitalizations for other disorders
like anxiety or behavioral disorders.
Both sexes experience episodes of
binging and purging.
In recent years, the prevalence of
younger children suffering from
an eating disorder is staggering.
Although the onset is most
typically documented in the
prepubescent tween years or
early adolescence, doctors are
discovering it in children as young
as seven-years-old. Researchers
and medical professionals have
not yet determined whether it’s
become more prevalent because
the numbers have grown or because
they are better educated about the
signs and symptoms. This leaves
them to wonder if it’s a growing
trend or a result of better education.
Eating habits change as children
age. Society has grown more health
conscious. People, in general, are
paying more attention to their
bodies and their health. As this wave
of healthy eating expands, people are
more cognizant of the food that’s
going