Secret diet clubs at schools see kids skip meals to stay thin – as experts warn youngsters could fall victim to eating disorders
- Some students ‘feel anxious’ about eating in front of other kids at school
- Concerned parents have noticed their kids aren’t eating recess or lunch
- Eating disorder survivor Lexi Crouch said the playground can be a ‘dark place’
- The Butterfly Foundation will be visiting schools this month to educate students
An increasing number of children are skipping meals at school to stay watch their weight, prompting stark warnings from experts about eating disorders.
Butterfly Foundation national manager Danni Rowlands said some students ‘feel anxious’ about eating in front of other kids at school.
‘This is concerning for a number of reasons and can highlight issues in a young person, but it also places them at risk of developing disordered eating or an eating disorder,’ Ms Rowlands told The Daily Telegraph.
Hordes of concerned Queensland parents have contacted eating disorder experts over suspicions their kids – some as young as primary school age – aren’t eating recess or lunch due to diet clubs.
Butterfly Foundation national manager Danni Rowlands said some students ‘feel anxious’ about eating in front of other kids at school
The Butterfly foundation reports that skipping meals at school is one of the early signs of an eating disorder.
The foundation is so concerned it is holding education sessions in classrooms across Queensland.
Ms Rowlands said that schools not giving kids adequate time to eat during breaks is contributing to the trend.
‘If children don’t have sufficient time to eat at recess and lunch it may encourage them to eat very quickly and/or skip parts or all of their lunch to ensure they don’t miss out on playtime,’ Ms Rowlands said.
Nutritionist Lexi Crouch, who suffered from an eating disorder as a kid, said the playground ‘can be a very dark place’.
Now 32 and healthy, Ms Crouch revealed she was bullied about her weight when she was seven, and by Year 5 had turned to skipping meals.
‘Children knew way too much about calories. They watched what you were eating and what you bought from the tuck shop,’ she said.
Ms Crouch said schools can do more to prevent kids from developing eating disorders, and believes it’s important to teach students about healthy eating habits.
The foundation will be visiting schools across Queensland this month to educate students, teachers and parents about the growing trend.
Now 32 and healthy, Ms Crouch revealed she was bullied about her weight when she was seven, and by Year 5 had turned to skipping meals
Eating disorders and disordered eating together are estimated to affect about 16 per cent of the Australian population.
The Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing estimated that 2.4 per cent of young people aged 11–17 reported problem eating behaviours.
Previous research using the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children has shown that at age 10-11, almost 40 per cent of boys and girls said that they were trying to lose weight.
www.butterfly.org.au
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