Cultural and social factors in eating disorders

Eating disorders occur most often in industrialized cultures where there is an emphasis on thinness, especially if thinness is linked to success. Magazines, television, and other media have created an unrealistic image of the perfect, successful person. The pressure to be thin can lead to intense dieting, even in very young children, which can turn into an eating disorder in people who are more likely (predisposed) to get the disorders.

Professions and sports that require a certain body type may also indirectly encourage eating disorders. Ballet, gymnastics, modeling, acting, running, figure skating, swimming, jockeying, and wrestling often emphasize or require a thin, lean body.

Certain family attitudes or dynamics may contribute to the risk of a child or teen developing an eating disorder. The risk for eating disorders may be higher in families that:

• Focus on high achievement.
• Emphasize being perfect.
• Are concerned about appearance.
• Worry about being socially accepted.
• Are concerned about physical fitness, including parents' own body weight and that of the child (or children).
• Are overprotective or too involved in their teen's life.

Young people who develop eating disorders often have a close but troubled relationship with their parents. Although this is common in the teen years, a person who is at high risk for developing an eating disorder will take concerns over parental relationship problems to an extreme. The child may be afraid of disappointing his or her parents or may be trying to control an unspoken conflict or lack of harmony within the family.