Eating disorders
Sharing our expertise in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders with a network service providers, with children in the schools, and globally through the World Wide Web
Approximately one in four Canadian adolescent girls report symptoms of an eating disorders.
Eating disorders, considered serious and life threatening, can occur in children as young as nine years of age and can impact on the physical, emotional, and social lives of children and their families. This serious disorder requires specialized treatment and prevention approaches.
An innovative community based training program, led by Dr. Gail McVey in partnership with the Eating Disorders Programs at Sick Kids and University Health Network, has standardized the treatment approach developed in these hospitals. This has resulted in the creation of a provincial network to ensure that children receive specialized medical and mental health services closer to home.
Other work in partnership with the Public Health units of Hamilton and Peel regions has seen the development of an innovative peer-group program called Girl Talk that promotes healthy eating, active living, positive self-esteem and body image among school age children, and has important implications for school board policies relating to nutrition in the schools, “weight and shape teasing,” and the availability of physical activity for children regardless of shape and size.
To increase the impact of our work in this area, we are sharing what we know globally through a Web based training program that seeks to translate knowledge about best practices in the prevention of disordered eating to teachers and public health practitioners across Canada and beyond.
For more information, please contact Dr. Gail McVey. 416-813-7250