College Response

College Response: National Eating Disorders Screening Program National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: February 25th through March 3rd, 2007

The College Response National Eating Disorder Screening Program (NEDSP) is designed to educate and screen college students for eating disorders, and to connect at-risk students with the resources they need.

NEDSP provides tools to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder in both men and women. Information about healthy lifestyles, balanced eating and exercise, and the role of eating disorders in athletics are also important educational pieces of the program.

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Facts About Eating Disorders

    General:
  • Almost 50% of people with eating disorders meet the criteria for depression.
  • Only 1 in 10 men and women with eating disorders receive treatment. Only 35% of people that receive treatment for eating disorders get treatment at a specialized facility for eating disorders. 2
  • Up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the U.S. 3
  • Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. 4
    Students:
  • 91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting. 22% dieted "often" or "always." 5
  • 86% report onset of eating disorder by age 20; 43% report onset between ages of 16 and 20. 6
  • Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents. 7
  • 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25. 8
  • 25% of college-aged women engage in bingeing and purging as a weight-management technique. 3
  • The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate associated with all causes of death for females 15-24 years old.4
    Men:
  • An estimated 10-15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. 9
  • Men are less likely to seek treatment for eating disorders because of the perception that they are "woman's diseases." 10
  • Among gay men, nearly 14% appeared to suffer from bulimia and over 20% appeared to be anorexic. 11
    Media, Perception, Dieting:
  • 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight within 5 years. 3
  • 35% of "normal dieters" progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders. 5
  • The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females. 3
  • 47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures. 12
  • 69% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape. 13
  • 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner (Collins, 1991).
  • 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat (Mellin et al., 1991).
  • Collins, M.E. (1991). Body figure perceptions and preferences among pre-adolescent children. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 199-208.
  • Mellin, L., McNutt, S., Hu, Y., Schreiber, G.B., Crawford, P., & Obarzanek, E. (1991). A longitudinal study of the dietary practices of black and white girls 9 and 10 years old at enrollment: The NHLBI growth and health study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 27-37.
    For Women:
  • Women are much more likely than men to develop an eating disorder. Only an estimated five to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. 14
  • An estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of women suffer from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime. 14
  • Research suggests that about 1 percent of female adolescents have anorexia.15 * An estimated 1.1 to 4.2 percent of women have bulimia nervosa in their lifetime. 14
  • An estimated 2 to 5 percent of Americans experience binge-eating disorder in a 6-month period. 14
  • About 50 percent of people who have had anorexia develop bulimia or bulimic patterns.
    Sources:
  1. Mortality in Anorexia Nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1995; 152 (7): 1073-4.
  2. Characteristics and Treatment of Patients with Chronic Eating Disorders, by Dr. Greta Noordenbox, International Journal of Eating Disorders, Volume 10: 15-29, 2002.
  3. The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders, "Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources," 2003.
  4. American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 152 (7), July 1995, p. 1073-1074, Sullivan, Patrick F.
  5. Shisslak, C.M., Crago, M., & Estes, L.S. (1995). The Spectrum of Eating Disturbances. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18 (3): 209-219.
  6. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders 10-year study, 2000.
  7. Public Health Service's Office in Women's Health, Eating Disorders Information Sheet, 2000.
  8. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  9. Carlat, D.J., Camargo. Review of Bulimia Nervosa in Males. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 1997.
  10. American Psychological Association, 2001.
  11. International Journal of Eating Disorders 2002; 31: 300-308.
  12. Prevention of Eating Problems with Elementary Children, Michael Levine, USA Today, July 1998.
  13. Ibid.
  14. The National Institute of Mental Health: "Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions." Pub No. 01-4901. Accessed Feb. 2002.
  15. Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. website. Accessed Feb. 2002.

The National Eating Disorders Screening Program Connects College Students to Help

Contact: Lindsay Taylor (781)239-0071 - Program Coordinator

On nearly any given college campus you are bound to find students struggling with body image issues. In fact, 95% of people with eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 and 251 and the majority of those who have an eating disorder don't seek treatment, often as a result of shame or social stigma. Many college campuses lack information not only about the signs and symptoms of eating disorders, but also how/where to connect their students to treatment resources that may help them. It is these two needs that the National Eating Disorders Screening Program® (NEDSP) addresses.

NEDSP is a college based program, typically conducted during Eating Disorders Awareness Week on hundreds of college campuses nationwide. Colleges participating in NEDSP range from large universities to small suburban colleges. As part of the program, students are able to complete a short questionnaire that assesses their likelihood for three main types of eating disorders – anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. They can learn more information for themselves or their friends, and talk with a mental health professional if necessary. During the 2005/2006 academic year, over 400 colleges participated in the NEDSP.

In addition to the in-person program, the NEDSP online program generates a significant number of screenings. This unique, customizable program is available at each participating school 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provides specific referral information. The online program reaches students in a novel and user-friendly way that motivates them to assess their own thoughts and behaviors. As part of the program, each college can customize its online module with a referral message that directs students to appropriate campus resources. Colleges can also generate detailed utilization reports and graphs to see how many students have taken the screening and how many have scored positive for an eating disorder.

Colleges implement the program in unique and creative ways, using the materials provided by the NEDSP office to create dynamic programs that best meets the needs of their own student populations. Campuses are encouraged to conduct screenings in sorority and fraternity houses, dining halls, student unions, during health fairs, and in academic classes, as well as to network with community groups and other internal departments, thereby creating liaisons that can continue to be utilized throughout the year. In this way, NEDSP serves as a catalyst for ongoing outreach about eating disorders, disordered eating, body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

The National Eating Disorders Screening Program is a component of College Response®, which offers colleges screening and education programs for depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and alcohol use in addition to eating disorders. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, eating disorders frequently occur with other mental health disorders such as depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders. NEDSP is a program of the nonprofit organization Screening for Mental Health, Inc. For more information or to register for NEDSP or College Response, visit www.MentalHealthScreening.org/college.

1the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration