“Freshman 15”
eating were queried about it by a health
provider. (White, 2011)
Although it is widely believed that fresh-
man in college gain significant weight and
college resources should be targeted to
obesity prevention, the first study of its kind
finds otherwise. Using a nationally rep-
resentative random survey, the research-
ers found that freshmen gain between 2.5
to 3.5 pounds, on average. This is only ½
pound more than their same–age peers
who do not attend college. (Zagorsky,
2011) Given the risks that dieting poses,
especially to college students, anti–obesity
campaigns on college campuses are not
only unnecessary, but potentially harmful.
Prevalence is increasing in college
Data from one college over a 13 year
period shows total eating disorders in-
creased from 23 to 32% among females
and from 7.9 to 25% among males. The
percentage of students eating according
to a special weight loss diet increased
from 4.2% in 1995 to 22% in 2008. (White,
2011) Prevalence in teens
A national survey of 10,123 adolescents
between 13 and 18 years old, showed the
30–70% of those seeking treatment for an
eating disorder receive medical treatment
for weight loss, indicating that individu-
als with eating disorders are much more
likely to receive treatment for a perceived
weight problem than mental health treat-
ment for an eating disorder. (Hart 2011)
This indicates the need for professionals
trained in assessment and identification
of eating disorders, especially on college
campuses. prevalence of Anorexia Nervosa to be .3%,
Bulimia Nervosa to be .9%, and Binge Eat-
ing Disorder to be 1.6%. Additionally, they
found that .8% struggled with sub–thresh-
old Anorexia Nervosa, and 2.5% with sub–
threshold Binge Eating Disorder. Overall,
girls and boys were affected similarly for
Anorexia and Bulimia. This totals 6.1%
of boys and girls between 13 and 18 year
olds being affected by disordered eating.
This study also found that only 3–28%
of those affected had received treat-
ment specifically for their eating disorder
(Swanson, 2011). Therefore, potentially
4.4–5.9% of teens enter college with a
pre–existing, untreated eating disorder.
According to NIMH the average age of
onset for Anorexia is 19 years old, bulimia
is 20 years old, and binge eating disorder
is 25.
Detection Barriers to Treatment
A study of college students found that
only 6% of students with disordered
Several barriers exist for people seek-
ing treatment for an eating disorder.
College Athletes
In a study of 204 female college ath-
letes from 17 sports at 3 universities,
2% were classified as having an eating
disorder and another 25.5% exhibited
symptoms at a subclinical level. (Green-
leaf, 2009)
Seeking Treatment
8