The nursing unionSATSE, has requested the presence of the nurses in educational centers pato collaborate in the fight against eating disorders, through case detection and information and awareness among children and young people in our country. On the occasion of International Day of the fight against Eating Disorders (TCA)SATSE emphasizes that nurses can carry out a very important task in spaces for coexistence and training in which children and young people spend a large part of their time, such as educational centers, to combat a public health problem that increasingly worries mothers, fathers and the whole of society.

According to recent studies, the number of cases suffering from an eating disorder (bulimia, anorexia nervosa, orthorexia, binge eating disorder…) have been increasing in recent years until registering in the 4-6% of the population between the ages of 10 and 25, being women 9 out of 10 people affected. Faced with this serious public health problem, the Nursing Union emphasizes the importance of betting on the prevention and early detectionas well as fleeing from the stigmatization and generalization of concepts and social perceptions that frequently surround this type of mental illness.

Need to have Nursing professionals in educational centers

For this reason, SATSE insists on the need to have Nursing professionals in educational centers to be able to detect possible cases among the students of the school or institute, and, in addition, carry out permanent work of awareness and advice through seminars, workshops and other informative activities. “Nurses and male nurses can be a Fundamental support for children and young people, who, on many occasions, are not aware of their disease and, therefore, cannot identify its consequences, in addition to for their families, who also require information and guidelines for action to follow ”, point out from the union organization. Disorders that generate pathological behavior towards food intake, as well as a weight control obsession, are present at all ages, although it mainly affects adolescents and young women, including biological, psychological and sociocultural factors in its appearance. Hence the importance, according to the Nursing Union, of aaddress this problem from childhood and youthalso taking into account that children and young people are a particularly sensitive and vulnerable group, even more so in a society like today’s where physical image is becoming more and more important.