Eating disorders

Eating Disorders are mental disorders characterized by a pathological behavior towards food intake and an obsession for weight control. Most of them have a multifactorial origin, which includes biological, psychological, sociocultural and family factors. On the other hand, recent studies mention that for every man there can be up to ten women suffering from these diseases, and only less than ten percent of affected adolescents are in treatment. For this reason, there is a need for more participation of health professionals, more health promotion, evaluation of preventive strategies, as well as optimization and implementation of improvements in prevention strategies.