My stand on increased feeding disorders among adolescents in Uganda

By Dr.Fred Oyesigye

Feeding disorders among adolescents aged 10-19 years is a public health concern. Families and communities have been devoured by adopted bad eating habits, which begin immediately adolescents leave their parents for their adventurous life.

These feeding habits are on increase; they  include restrictive dieting, binge-eating, alcohol spree and drug abuse, almost consuming human race.  “Why?” because adolescents want to change body shape, have body weight decreased or increased but other are gluttony.

Therefore restrict and limit food intake, induce vomiting to compromise nutrient metabolism, spend many days fasting for chronic body starvation, or eat a lot at time for inappropriate compensatory behavior for a huge body weight, many researchers have attributed it, to indiscipline ideological thinking , perfectionism, low self esteem, food obsessions and prestige, occasionally resulting into psychiatric conditions like mania and addiction.

Nevertheless we can prevent these disorders and manage them, if diagnosed early at different institutions.

For example a number of measures can be instituted at all levels ( Families, Schools and Hospitals) Teachers have a big role to play in prevention of eating disorders because they spend most of their time with adolescents.

These institutions can limit them from complex predisposing factors such as media, that shape their future mind set, by continuously sensitizing them on good eating habits in schools (like binge- feeding, alcohol spree and drug abuse) avoid spending a lot of time on televisions, videos for pictures of body shapes as well as interacting with different societies of bad eating behavior, which predisposes them to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge –eating and eventually addiction.

While at home, parents should take time to sensitize adolescents and live by examples on foods drinks provided at home, befriend their children, have leisure time with them, talk about their culture and societal needs and taboos.

At the hospital health workers should support any body’s condition and shape for treatment without traumatizing the victim because of size, shape, chronic alcoholism and obesity, give a required therapy.

Besides, before leaving the hospital victims should have many sessions with counselors for psychosocial support especially addicted clients.