Eating disorders are on the rise, especially among women.

Eating disorders are one of the most significant problems that can endanger the health and lives of many people, especially teenagers.

Ana Lorena López Bernal, a student in the elective course II Virtual Strategies of the Nursing program at the University of Cundinamarca, spoke about this problem that has been affecting the population for decades and that especially disrupts the lives of women.

“According to the World Health Organization, adolescence is categorized as between 10 and 19 years of age. 90% or 95% of those who suffer from these disorders are women, and the average age is usually between 12 and 25 years old, but it is more frequent between 12 and 17,” stated Ana Lorena López.

Adolescence is an important stage of life and is determined by significant social, physical, and emotional changes that have direct effects on the adolescent's nutritional status, physical growth, and development.

“The struggle for independence that characterizes the psychosocial development of adolescents often leads to the development of eating behaviors that affect health, such as excessive dieting, skipping meals, use of unconventional nutritional and non-nutritional supplements, and the adoption of fad diets,” said the student from UCundinamarca.

Eating disorders are defined as a poor regulation of human eating behavior characterized by cognitive disorders, behavioral alterations associated with diet and distortion of body image, manifesting as a mental disorder; characteristics defined by the World Health Organization.

These bad habits cause diseases that affect life, one of them is anorexia nervosa, a disorder characterized by a restriction of food intake that leads to considerable weight loss that remains below the minimum expected for age or sex, leaving a serious state of malnutrition.

The weight loss is caused by the patient who forces himself to vomit or abuses diuretics or laxatives; in addition, he sometimes exercises excessively.

“Many times these cases are handled with outpatient consultations, but in more serious cases hospitalization is necessary for refeeding or stabilization of medical problems such as malnutrition or dehydration,” Ana Lorena López Bernal pointed out.

According to the Association Against Anorexia and Bulimia, the following tips are recommended to prevent eating disorders from childhood.

• To increase the ability to assess, accepting or rejecting, the importance of social factors.
• Educating in a critical attitude towards the pressure of cultural stereotypes.
• Clarify and prioritize personal values.
• Increase individual resistance to media pressure.
• Objectifying abilities and expectations to strengthen self-esteem.
• To boost children's self-esteem, it is effective to praise them for who they are and positively reinforce everything related to their personality and abilities rather than physical appearance.
• Healthy self-esteem is fundamental and promotes:
• An improved mood and overall sense of well-being.
• Motivation and energy to achieve goals and overcome failures in a healthy way.

• It is a non-specific protective factor. That is, it reduces the likelihood of experiencing psychological and social problems in general.
• Self-respect, positioning oneself from a position of dignified behavior towards oneself.
• Capacity for self-care and to protect one's own legitimate interests and rights.
• To make use of one's own skills and abilities with satisfaction.

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