Eating Disorders Linked to Education
September 20, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
A Swedish study has found a link between eating disorders in girls and highly educated families. The research found that girls with highly educated parents and grandparents had a higher risk of developing an eating disorder.
That risk also increased as the girl’s own grades increased. The better the grades, the more risk of an eating disorder. The findings were reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology and discussed at msnbc.
Researchers believe that the relationship between the eating disorders and family educational background may be due to feeling pressure to succeed, which could result in an obsession with body weight. While family education and grades in school certainly don’t cause girls to have eating disorders, they could add to already present risk factors.
According to Mayo Clinic, eating disorders most commonly occur in women during their teens and early 20s. Emotional problems such as depression or anxiety disorders may also increase the chances of developing an eating disorder.
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