Doctors are urging families and caregivers to be on the lookout for warning signs of eating disorders over the summer months -- a time when schedules are different and children and teens may spend more time unsupervised.
A 2023 study in the Journal of Pediatrics found eating disorder-related doctors’ visits more than doubled among kids under the age of 17 between 2018 to 2022.
“I’ve seen behaviors as young as 8, 9 years old,” said Dr. Huma Khan, an adolescent medicine physician at Advocate Children’s Medical Group.
Khan said eating disorders do not discriminate and can be overlooked in some communities.
“When eating disorders in minority groups go overlooked, and the disease progresses, it can be more severe,” Khan said.
Warning signs to watch out for include:
- A focus on reading nutrition labels
- Eliminating whole groups of foods
- Eliminating meals or snacks
- Changes in eating behaviors, such as cutting food into tiny bites
“Or if you see there's a lot more exercise. There's like a routine and it's a longer routine and it's every day and it has to be done. Those types of things I would be concerned about,” Khan said.
Health & Wellness
If you, a parent or caregiver is worried about a child and want to ask about their behavior, experts advise remaining calm, being non-judgmental and using “I” statements when possible.
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“Like, ‘I am so concerned about you right now. I am really worried about your weight loss. I'm really worried that you've been exercising this much,” Khan said. “And be prepared for your team to maybe get angry or defensive. That’s part of the disease.”
A public speaker and author from Naperville, John Schu wrote the novel-in-verse "Louder Than Hunger," based on his experience as a teenager hospitalized with anorexia nervosa.
“Everything that happens to Jake in the book actually happened to me,” Schu said. “It's a story of hope. And, for me, writing it was really a story of healing.”
Schu travels to school nationwide, sharing a message that’s especially poignant now as classes end for summer break.
“The summer was actually always the hardest time of year, because as the child, I like a schedule. And in the summer, there wasn't as much of a rigid schedule,” Schu said.
Less supervision by adults and increased focus and attention on getting a “summer-ready” body can be triggering for some.
Schu said talking about his journey has helped him and others, sharing that children have approached him after he speaks at schools with their own concerns.
“To stand in front of 200 and 300 middle schoolers at a time and say, ‘I was hospitalized for two years with anorexia nervosa’ takes a level of vulnerability. And it's scary to say that, but I feel it's necessary to say that and to show them that I am now a healthy adult,” Schu said.
