EXERCISE AND HEALTH

Exercise and Health

Exercise and Health

Question 1: Physical activity and eating behaviour

Introduction

The eating disorders affect, in particular children and young adults, with ever-increasing frequency are in United Kingdom than in the rest of the world. In the last twenty years, the spread of this disease has increased dramatically, to the point that there was talk of "epidemic": if a few decades ago the total cases of eating disorders in a whole school were rare, it is now possible to identify more cases in the same class (Fairburn & Brownell, 2002, pp. 101-09). Also, if a few years ago eating disorders were typical of teenage girls in recent years we are confronted with the spread of these disorders in adolescent boys with a lowering of the average age of onset (6-8 years), and the promotion of cultural aspects of mass making the gap across the board on many segments of the population, also involving the children. 

Discussion

Many studies have found a strong link between sport and eating disorder. An exaggerated increase in physical activity beyond normal habits and the real needs should be considered suspicious of eating disorder, especially when it takes up most of the time available, and is the only interest pursued with insistence from the subject. In fact in a discrete number of subjects excessive exercise usually precedes other signs is often closely tied to a strict diet, for which the physical activity tends to increase while instead decrease food intake and weight (Schulher, 2008, pp. 158-65). For many years there has been talk of sports and physical activity that may favor the onset of an eating disorder, including ballet, ice skating, athletics and sport in general, which have the specific characteristic of the constant control of the healthy weight to maintain an optimal level of benefit. 

Weight and Shape

The attention to weight and shape in certain areas of sport is almost similar to that of patients with eating disorders, with the use of strict diets (often unbalanced in terms of nutrition) and strenuous physical activity in order to maintain a healthy weight within the limits established. For these athletes, the risk of developing an eating disorder is related to the strong pressure of the environment in which it is practiced the sport and the desire to continuously improve its performance and its state of physical fitness (Fuchs, 2008, pp. 268-74). Excessive exercise, combined with poor eating habits and often with compensatory behavior (vomiting, diuretics, appetite suppressants,) combined with the growing popularity of the sport racing can have a serious impact on the health of children. Should be recommended a caring attitude and responsible to the health. 

Finally, only a hint of those risk factors that are part of the history of the subject and are scarcely changed: the presence of grief or loss events in the family, even at a very early (even during pregnancy), life events such as severe maltreatment and abuse/sexual assault, or childhood trauma related to poor social integration (repeated teasing of peers and adults on weight and physical appearance, isolation from others, ...