Risk factors for eating disorders in schoolchildren in Cundinamarca

How prevalent are Eating Disorders (ED) in school-aged youth in Bogota and Cundinamarca?

That was the question that our Mental Health Coordinator, Sandra Piñeros, asked herself when she decided to study ED in 937 students between 12 and 20 years of age.

This disorder is more common than we think, and although since the 60's the way to prevent it is being studied (from promotion campaigns and primary and secondary prevention), it has not been able to have a positive impact on those who suffer from it or tend to do so. The issue should be taken into account from the mental health point of view, since people with this disorder have a high prevalence of suicidal behaviors. The study revealed that family factors, such as criticism and jokes about physical appearance, and individual factors, such as the perception of being overweight and dissatisfaction, have an impact on young people's eating. In fact, the population most affected by the disorder was that between 15 and 17 years of age and had a low socioeconomic stratum. In addition, the research revealed that young people suffered from other psychiatric disorders that affect their mental health, these are depressive disorders (23%), anxiety disorders (10%) and adaptive disorders (3.3%); this confirmed that there is a relationship between Eating Disorder and depressive and anxiety disorders.

With a negative perception of family relationships in 13% of the population studied, it was found that many of these young people suffer from emotional abuse and family dysfunction.

This study calls the attention of the educational and medical community of Bogota and Cundinamarca, it is an alert for prevention programs to be implemented throughout the educational sectors. It is the responsibility of the State, schools and parents that there are suitable environments for the healthy development of children, in this sense the results of the research “Risk factors of Eating Disorders in young people attending school in Cundinamarca”, are relevant.