Class!!

Yesterday in my NFA 717 class we talked about eating disorders, which was really interesting! Dr. Wilson had a really good power point presentation that was really good to go along with the class.
Here is some information from it that I thought was interesting:

• Normal eating is being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied.  It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it – not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to use some moderate constraint on your food selection to get the right food, but not being so restrictive that you miss out on pleasurable foods. 

• Disordered eating- A wide spectrum of harmful and often ineffective eating behaviors used in attempts to lose weight or achieve a lean appearance.  The spectrum of behaviors ranges in severity from restricting food intake, to binging and purging, to the DSM-IV defined disorders of AN and BN. 
• ED are difficult to overcome, even with timely and effective treatment.  Treatment involves not only changing how the patient eats, it also involves changing many other behaviors.  Even more important and difficult, the patient must change how he/she thinks and manages his/her emotional life without resorting to symptoms related to eating, food, or weight.  Not everyone will get well.  Some will suffer serious medical problems; some will die.
•  Prevention  •De-emphasize weight/body image (appropriate assessment/recommendations)•Emphasize health and nutrition (modeling)•Focus on performance to get the attention of coaches and athletes.  #1 contributor to performance (after genetics) is good health; nutrition is #1 contributor to good health.  Components of performance sports diet.

I really liked this class and thought that it was a very useful powerpoint which I could use later on in my career.
 

Cosponsor!

On April 11, 2011 there was something new on my bill. I have a cosponsor!!!

The new cosponsor is:
Rep. Lloyd Doggett [D-TX25]
U.S. Representative, Texas’s 25^th District

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State: Texas  District: 25th Congressional District  Party: Democrat

Letter to Sponsor

I still have not heard anything from my sponsor, which makes me sad. That is another thing I want to change. I think that senator and representatives should talk to people other then just the people that vote for them. This topic is really important to me and it would be incredibly beneficial to be able to talk to her. I could learn more about the issue and the likelihood of it passing. I also could learn if I could do anything more to help the cause.

Letter to Sponsor

This is what I am sent in the mail to the sponsor of my bill:

Dr. Representative Judy Biggert,

I am a graduate student in community nutrition at Eastern Kentucky University. I currently have a blog on blogspot.com about eating disorders. I am very passionate bout the bill H.R. 36 Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2011. I am working on my blog to help advocate this bill. I would really like to get you thoughts on this bill and would like to talk to you about the past struggle to try to get this bill passed. I would really like for this bill to be brought up in Kentucky. I know that you usually do not have time to respond to non-constituents but I hold this topic very near and dear to my heart. I would really like to know your thoughts on this bill and if I could do anything to help you in the passage of this bill

Sincerely,

Amanda Harden

Similar legistlation in Adcoacy!

While working on my educational portfolio, I found that the Eating Disorders Coalition is working on getting bills passed as well. I am thinking about writing them for my blog to see if they could also push for my bill. Much of their energy is now dedicated to passing the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders ACT (FREED, H.R. 1193), the first ever comprehensive eating disorders bill in the history of Congress, and they need support to pass it during the 111th Congress.

 What does this bill intail?

2/25/2009--Introduced.Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to take certain actions regarding eating disorder research, including to:
(1) implement a scientifically justified budget for research on eating disorders;
(2) coordinate and evaluate NIH research activities and programs;
(3) expand NIH research on eating disorders;
(4) establish a task force on eating disorder research; and
(5) provide for centers of excellence for research on eating disorders. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to:
(1) provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of epidemiological data on eating disorders;
(2) establish a Center of Eating Disorders Epidemiology to collect and analyze information on eating disorders; and
(3) establish a CDC clearinghouse for the collection and storage of data generated under this Act. Sets forth provisions providing for education and training on eating disorders, including requirements for:
(1) developing and implementing a training program for health professionals on eating disorders;
(2) establishing the Task Force on Eating Disorders Prevention in Educational Institutions to develop and provide training on eating disorders identification and prevention for students, faculty, coaches, and staff in schools; and
(3) conducting public service announcements. Amends the PHSA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to also provide coverage for eating disorders. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market and coverage offered under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.

Looks Are More Important To Girls Than Life Latest Survey Suggests

I found this article in the news about the way women perceive themselves. The statistics are mind blowing. 1 in 2 women were disappointed with their body. There really does need to be more awareness out there to prevent eating disorders. This article definitely supports that with the way women think about their bodies.



30% of women would trade at least one year of their life to achieve their ideal body weight and shape. Latest research conducted for new eating disorder charity The Succeed Foundation, in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE), also found that in order to achieve their ideal body weight and shape:

• 16% would trade 1 year of their life
• 10% would trade 2-5 years of their life
• 2% would trade 6-10 years of their life
• 1% would trade 21 years or more of their life

The survey conducted at British Universities by Dr Phillippa Diedrichs also discovered that in order to achieve their ideal body weight and shape 26% of the women surveyed were willing to sacrifice at least one of the following:

• £5000 from their annual salary (13%)
• A promotion at work (8%)
• Achieving a first class honours degree (6%)
• Spending time with their partner (9%)
• Spending time with their family (7%)
• Spending time with their friends (9%)
• Their health (7%)

The survey results suggest that body dissatisfaction was common among the women surveyed, with 1 in 2 women saying that more needs to be done on their university campus to promote healthy body image.

• 46% of the women surveyed have been ridiculed or bullied because of their appearance.
• 39% of the women surveyed reported that if money wasn't a concern they would have cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance. Of the 39% who said they would have cosmetic surgery, 76% desired multiple surgical procedures. 5% of the women surveyed have already had cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance.
• 79% of the women surveyed reported that they would like to lose weight, despite the fact that the majority of the women sampled (78.37%) were actually within the underweight or 'normal' weight ranges. Only 3% said that they would like to gain weight.
• 93% of the women surveyed reported that they had had negative thoughts about their appearance during the past week. 31% had negative thoughts several times a day.
• When asked which celebrity has the perfect body Kelly Brook came top of the list.

Notes

320 women studying at 20 British universities completed The Succeed Foundation Body Image Survey in March 2011. Age Breakdown: Range 18-65 years. Average age= 24.49 years.

In response to the fact that it is common for women attending universities to have body image issues, on April 2nd and 3rd 2011, The Succeed Foundation is launching The Succeed Body Image Programme in UK universities. This is a scientifically supported programme that aims to improve body image and prevent the onset of eating disorders.

The Succeed Foundation was founded in 2010 by Karine Berthou, with the mission of raising awareness and providing support for those affected by eating disorders. The aim is to introduce new programmes and fresh research to halve the average recovery time of sufferers; by creating networks, delivering programmes and adapting new technologies in prevention, education and coaching. All programmes or projects are scientifically supported and easily replicable, enabling availability to the widest number possible.

Source
The Succeed Foundation

Current Status Of House Bill H.R. 36

This is the current status of my bill. It is same as the last time I checked the progress of it. I am starting to worry that this bill is not going to pass because as I listed earlier this type of bill has been introduced before and all of them end where this bill is sitting right now. I feel as we need to do more then what we have been doing in the past for this bill because it is obviously not working.

 

Bill Actions

Jan. 31, 2011	Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jan. 31, 2011	Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jan. 4, 2011	Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jan. 4, 2011	Referred to House Education and the Workforce
Jan. 4, 2011	Referred to House Energy and Commerce