News Health and Medicine Eating disorder behaviors and weight concerns are common in women over 50
| Eating disorder behaviors and weight concerns are common in women over 50 |
|
| Thursday, June 21, 2012 | |
|
Eating disorders are commonly seen as an issue faced by teenagers and young women, but a new study reveals that age is no barrier to disordered eating. In women aged 50 and over, 3.5 percent report binge eating, nearly 8 percent report purging, and more than 70 percent are trying to lose weight. The study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders revealed that 62 percent of women claimed that their weight or shape negatively impacted on their life. The researchers, led by Cynthia Bulik, PhD, director of the Eating Disorders Program in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, reached 1,849 women from across the U.S. participating in the Gender and Body Image Study (GABI) with a survey titled, ‘Body Image in Women 50 and Over – Tell Us What You Think and Feel.’ For full release |