National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

28 Feb 2007 11:58 AM

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. There are lots of ways you can get involved for the twentieth year of NEDAW!

Be comfortable in your genes. Wear jeans that fit the REAL you. That's the slogan for the Great Jeans Giveaway, an annual part of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Struggling against your natural (and genetically influenced) body size and shape can lead to unhealthy eating, poor body image, and sometimes serious eating disorders. NEDAW encourages you to donate old or new jeans that don't comfortably fit and stick to the jeans that fit and make you feel good.

Quick facts about National Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2007:

• Body size and shape are strongly influenced by biological factors (like genetics) -- we can't (and shouldn't) all have supermodel bodies!
• Recent discoveries have pointed to the role of genetics in the development of eating disorders.
• Eating disorders are serious illnesses, not choices. Environmental factors and genetic influences both play a role in eating disorder development.
• You CAN adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle, but you can't change your genes!
• Since 1987, NEDAW has been the United States' largest eating disorders outreach and education effort.
• Education and outreach can help reduce the stigma and shame attached to eating disorders.

NEDAW events aren't limited to just this week (February 25th - March 3rd). Educators, social workers, students, families, and more can work together to promote a positive body image and raise awareness about the dangers of eating disorders. This week is a way to make everyone feel involved and useful in the fight against eating disorders.

What can you do?

• Donate old or new jeans to the Great Jeans Giveaway
• Distribute educational materials
• Sponsor, organize, or attend a workshop or presentation in your area
• Encourage your local schools and workplaces to hold NEDAW events
• Sign up to be a NEDAW Coordinator to help plan and run events in your area
• Design and hang a bulletin board with information about eating disorders
• Download promotional items from the NEDAW website or from NationalEatingDisorders.org.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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