There is a great danger in delayed diagnosis of eatingdisorders in children, primarily because people do not think of children asbeing old enough to have an eating disorder. A lot of the time, eatingdisorders occur in adolescents, because their hormones are turning on and theyare having a tough time dealing with new changes to their bodies and peerpressure, and in adults who are struggling with their weight. The unfortunatetruth is, most diagnoses of eating disorders in children don't come until theircondition is life-threatening.

You might be further surprised to learn that young boys aremore likely to develop an eating disorder than girls of the same age, accordingto the Medical Journal of Australia in 2009. Believe it or not, boys and menare just as self-conscious about their looks and bodies as women. Instead ofbeing pressured into just looking thinner, men also have the added worry aboutbeing adequately strong and toned. Because society traditionally expects onlygirls to have self esteem issues that would lead to an eating disorder, doctorsoften don't even know to look for those signs in boys.

Think about these odds: If an eating disorder were caughtearly on in a child and treated properly, those children would have a 70% to80% better chance of fully recovering within a year, and about a 90% betterchance of improving those children's condition fully within five years.Comparatively, an adult might only have a recovery rate of 50% in five years.The good news is that children can recover more easily if the signs arerecognized, but the bad news is, those signs often go undetected far longerthan they would in an adult.

Another thing to realize is that eating disorders are notjust about your diet. Having an eating disorder is often a way of coping withstress and anxiety, so children who are watching their parents get a divorcemight succumb to an eating disorder more easily, or children who have lost aclose loved one.

To further complicate matters, the media and society ingeneral have indoctrinated in children at a younger and younger age theimportance of beauty and looking good. The effects of Disney teen stars likeMiley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, all of whom are mostly catering to apreteen and younger crowd, are excessively glamorous and intending to promotelooking sexy. In the past, most children probably would not be exposed to thatkind of message until sometime in their teens. The pressure to look as good as theirfavorite teen idols may seem frivolous, but it is no different than adults whostrive to look like their favorite celebrities.

If we want to reverse the trend of eating disorders inchildren, it is important to recognize the effects of the media and peers onimpressionable young people. They are still at a delicate stage in theirdevelopment, and it is important to reinforce their worth beyond their looksand decry superficiality.