|
 email page  print page
All Topic Reviews 12 and HoldingA Guide to Asperger SyndromeA Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning AutismA Special EducationA Toss Of The DiceA Tribe ApartA User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HDA Walk in the Rain With a BrainABC of Eating DisordersADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your LifeADHD Grown UpADHD in the Schools: Assessment and Intervention StrategiesAdolescent DepressionAggression and Antisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsAll Alone in the UniverseAlpha GirlsAmericaAnother PlanetAntisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsAsperger Syndrome and Your ChildAsperger Syndrome, Adolescence, and IdentityAssessment of Childhood DisordersAttention Deficit DisorderAttention-Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity DisorderAutism - The Eighth Colour of the RainbowAutism and MeAutistic Spectrum DisordersBad GirlBeen There, Done That? DO THIS!Before I DieBetween Two WorldsBeyond AppearanceBig Mouth & Ugly GirlBipolar ChildrenBipolar Disorder in Childhood and Early AdolescenceBipolar DisordersBipolar KidsBlackwell Handbook of Childhood Cognitive DevelopmentBody Image, Eating Disorders, and ObesityBody Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in YouthBrain-Based Therapy with Children and AdolescentsBreaking PointBreathing UnderwaterBringing Up ParentsBullying and TeasingBullying PreventionBut I Love HimCan't Eat, Won't EatCaring for a Child with AutismCatalystChild and Adolescent PsychiatryChild and Adolescent Psychological DisordersChild and Adolescent PsychopathologyChild NeuropsychologyChildren Changed by TraumaChildren with Emerald EyesChildren’s Dreaming and the Development of Consciousness City of OneCommunication Issues In Autism And Asperger SyndromeConcepts of NormalityConcise Guide to Child and Adolescent PsychiatryConquering the Beast WithinConsuming KidsCount Us InCrackedCrossesCutCyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy TeensDamageDemystifying the Autistic ExperienceDescartes' BabyDilemmas of DesireDirtyDoing SchoolDon't Bother Me Mom--I'm Learning!Dying to Be ThinEarly Intervention Programs and PoliciesEating an ArtichokeEducating Children With AutismEight Stories UpElijah's CupEmerald City BluesEmotional and Behavioral Problems of Young ChildrenEpilepticEthical Dilemmas in PediatricsEvery Girl Tells a StoryExiting NirvanaEye ContactFamily HistoryFast GirlsForever YoungFreaks, Geeks and Asperger SyndromeFreewillFrictionGirl CultureGirl in the MirrorGirlfightingGirlhoodGirlWiseHandbook of Evidence-Based Therapies for Children and AdolescentsHandbook of Preschool Mental HealthHealing ADDHelping Children Cope With Disasters and TerrorismHelping Parents, Youth, and Teachers Understand Medications for Behavioral and Emotional ProblemsHelping Students Overcome Depression and AnxietyHelping Teens Who CutHollow KidsHope's BoyHow Infants Know MindsHow to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can'tHurry Down SunshineI Am Not Joey PigzaIdentifying Hyperactive ChildrenIf Your Adolescent Has an Eating DisorderIn the Company of CraziesIncorporating Social Goals in the ClassroomIntegrated YogaIntrusive ParentingIssues for Families, Schools and CommunitiesJake RileyJoey Pigza Loses ControlJoey Pigza Swallowed the KeyJuvenile-Onset SchizophreniaKim: Empty InsideLearning and Behavior Problems in Asperger SyndromeLearning Disorders and Disorders of the Self in Children and AdolescentsLearning Outside the Lines Let Kids Be KidsLiberation's ChildrenLife As We Know ItLisa, Bright and DarkLook Me in the EyeLoserLove and SexLove That DogMaking ADD WorkMaking American BoysManicMastering Anger and AggressionMaverick MindMedicating ChildrenMind FieldsMind to MindMommy I'm Still in HereMore Than a LabelMy Flesh and BloodMyths of ChildhoodNew Hope for Children and Teens with Bipolar DisorderNew Look at ADHD: Inhibition, Time, and Self-ControlNo Child Left DifferentNo Two AlikeNot Much Just Chillin'Odd Girl OutOdd Girl Speaks OutOf Mice and MetaphorsOne Hot SecondOne in ThirteenOphelia SpeaksOphelia's MomOur Journey Through High Functioning Autism and Asperger SyndromeOut of the WoodsOvercoming School AnxietyParenting Children With ADHDParenting Your Out-Of-Control TeenagerPediatric PsychopharmacologyPediatric PsychopharmacologyPediatric PsychopharmacologyPeople with HyperactivityPhobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and AdolescentsPINSPlease Don't Label My ChildPraising Boys WellPraising Girls WellProblem Child or Quirky Kid?Problem GirlsPsychotherapy for Children and AdolescentsPsychotherapy with Children and AdolescentsRaising a Moody ChildRaising BlazeRaising Resilient ChildrenReady or Not, Here Life ComesReclaiming Our ChildrenRedressing the EmperorReducing Adolescent RiskResilience in ChildrenRethinking ADHDReweaving the Autistic TapestryRitalin is Not the Answer Action GuideRitalin NationRunning on RitalinRunning with ScissorsRutter's Child and Adolescent PsychiatrySex, Therapy, and KidsSexual Teens, Sexual MediaShould I Medicate My Child?SmashedSnapshots of AutismSongs Without WordsSpeakStaying Connected to Your TeenagerStick FigureStraight Talk about Psychological Testing for KidsStraight Talk about Your Child's Mental HealthStrange SonStudent DepressionSurvival Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar DisorderSurviving OpheliaTaking Charge of ADHD, Revised EditionTaming the Troublesome ChildThe American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook Of Child And Adolescent PsychiatryThe Bipolar ChildThe Boy Who Loved WindowsThe Boy Who Was Raised as a DogThe Buffalo TreeThe Bully, the Bullied, and the BystanderThe Burn JournalsThe Color of AbsenceThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeThe Depressed ChildThe Developing MindThe Dragons of AutismThe Einstein SyndromeThe EpidemicThe Explosive ChildThe Eyes of van GoghThe Fasting GirlThe Field of the DogsThe Flight of a DoveThe Hidden Gifts of the Introverted ChildThe Identity TrapThe Inner World of a Suicidal YouthThe Inside Story on Teen GirlsThe Kindness of StrangersThe Last Normal ChildThe Little MonsterThe Medicated ChildThe Myth of LazinessThe New Gay TeenagerThe Nurture AssumptionThe OASIS Guide to Asperger SyndromeThe Other ParentThe Real Truth About Teens and SexThe Ride TogetherThe Rise and Fall of the American TeenagerThe Sex Lives of TeenagersThe Survival Guide for Kids With LD*The Unhappy ChildThen Again, Maybe I Won'tTherapy with ChildrenThings I Have to Tell YouThrough the Glass WallThumbsuckerTotally WiredTouching Spirit BearTrauma in the Lives of ChildrenTreatment of Childhood DisordersTwistedUnder the Wolf, Under the DogUnhappy TeenagersUnstrange MindsWastedWeather Reports from the Autism FrontWhat about the KidsWhat in the World Are Your Kids Doing Online?What Works for Whom?What Would Joey Do?What's Happening to My Body? Book for BoysWhat's Happening to My Body? Book for GirlsWhen Nothing Matters AnymoreWhen Your Child Has an Eating DisorderWhose America?Will's ChoiceWinnicott On the ChildWorried All the TimeYou Hear MeYoung Minds in Social WorldsYoung People and Mental HealthYour Child, Bully or Victim?
|
| |
Dramatic increases in childhood
obesity have many health professionals concerned. Future health complications
of obese children include heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and
high lipid levels. These chronic diseases are extremely costly and can lead to
premature death. Several studies have demonstrated that obese children will
become obese adults. Health professionals have begun implementing interventions
early in life to circumvent future health problems. Understanding the
development, prevention, and treatment of eating disturbances is the only way
to combat obesity and eating disorders. Thompson and Smolak's collaborative
anthology has accumulated current research on the assessment, prevention, and
treatment of eating irregularities in youth.
Development of eating disorders
derives from a number of factors. Perhaps the greatest factor in developing an
eating disorder is one's own family. In "Family Functioning, Body Image,
and Eating Disturbances," Ari Steinberg and Vicky Phares collaborate to show
the overwhelming influence family has on the development and maintenance of
maladaptive body image and eating disturbances. They argue that family
dysfunction and problematic communication styles serve to exacerbate eating
disorders. Family dysfunction has been known to be directly related to negative
self-esteem and related indirectly to eating disturbances. Also, children
internalize a parent's communicating beliefs about weight, dieting, and
exercise. Thus, this calls for greater attention of all family members, i.e.
parents and siblings, effect on the development of eating disorders in youth.
In "Assessment of Body Image
Disturbance in Children and Adolescents," Rick Gardner argues that
assessment of body image disturbances is important for understanding the
development of eating disorders. Most studies have explored high school aged
and college aged young adults, but Gardner believes that dissatisfaction with
one's own body image begins at a much earlier age. In fact, we should study the
manifestation of body image awareness in younger children. Young children are
particularly susceptible because of parental influence. Recent research has
shown that children, particularly girls, under the age of 10 have begun to show
signs of body image disturbances. Thus, assessment of body image disturbances
in younger children demands careful consideration.
Robinson and Killen describe the
use of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory as the foundation for their
intervention: Obesity Prevention for Pre-Adolescents (OPPrA). Aimed at
ethnically and socio-economically diverse adolescents, this intervention not
only provides health education in the classroom but also includes educational
material for parents: dietary materials focus on healthy foods, such as fruits
and vegetables, while material about physical education focus on enjoyable
activities. Parents were sent newsletters and videos that taught basic
parenting skills, nutrition, and family-centered physical activities. In
addition, Robinson and Killen offered separate classes to high-risk adolescents
and their parents. By focusing on positive behavior and feedback, Robinson and
Killen's study showed that children demonstrated healthy behaviors and enjoyed
being physically active. Robinson and Killen suggest that positive results
will occur if behavioral change is a part of early intervention.
Faith, Saelens, Wilfley, and
Allison offer an overview of past interventions and provide insight for future
prevention and treatment techniques. They explain that the most important
ingredient of successful intervention is parental involvement. Future
interventions must overcome environmental, family, peer, and child specific
challenges. Aiming interventions at the correct group of adolescents is
important to provide appropriate treatment for obese individuals. Genetic
research enables health professionals to predict which non-obese adolescents
will become obese, and prescribe, if necessary, the correct type of medication
for maximum weight loss. It is evident from this article that the prevention
and treatment of obese children will become more sophisticated and more precise
as technology advances.
The material in this book is
comprehensive. Graduate students and health professionals will find this book
to be an invaluable resource for current research in the assessment,
prevention, and treatment of body image disorders. Also, the anthology
identifies behavioral change as the primary source of prevention and treatment.
Behavioral change is a burgeoning research field in the health sciences. By
understanding how food preferences develop and the pressure that society,
parents, and peers place on good looks, it is easier to create and implement
effective interventions. Researchers and health professionals must understand
all aspects of these disorders in order to treat and prevent them; this book is
a tremendously useful guide for understanding eating disturbances in youth.
© 2004 Joe and Tiffany Ulatowski
Tiffany S. Ulatowski is General
Manager of The Plaza Executive Health Club in Salt Lake City, Utah. She earned
a Master of Science degree in Health and Fitness Management from American University
in Washington, D.C. She created and implemented a health education initiative
for children in Mississippi while working for the Baptist Memorial Health Systems.
Her research interests include the prevention and treatment of childhood
obesity and the psychological factors related to the development of eating
irregularities in early adolescence.
Joe Ulatowski is a Ph.D.
student in the department of philosophy at the University of Utah. His
interests include metaphysics and epistemology, particularly the philosophy of
logic, foundations of mathematics, and philosophy of science |
