National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is a campaign that takes place every year to educate the general public about eating disorders and to provide hope and support to those suffering from this disease. Approximately 30 million Americans either have an eating disorder at this time or will develop one during the course of their lifetime.

This disease affects people of all ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders, body sizes, and socio-economic statuses. Help is available for those suffering from an eating disorder and their families as well, but far too many don’t seek the help they need because they don’t know it exists. This highlights the importance of this campaign and why more people should observe it to spread the word about eating disorders.

The History of Eating Disorders Awareness Week

This campaign was originally started in 2000 when the National Eating Disorders Association created it to spread the word about eating disorders among the general public. This week has been an important tool in their arsenal against eating disorders misinformation ever since.

Observing Eating Disorders Awareness Week

First and foremost, people should be aware of the signs and symptoms of eating disorders and talk to their physician or a health care professional if they see those signs in themselves or their family members. With that being said, there are a number of different ways that this holiday can be observed. Let’s take a quick look at a couple of them before concluding this article.

One thing that people can do is attend a seminar about eating disorders. Second, people can take positive action when they see other people being abused or bullied. And thirdly, people can spread the word about this campaign, either by telling friends and family members or by posting online using the hashtag #EatingDisordersAwarenessWeek.