Bridging the prevention gap: prevention programs and shared risk factors for obesity, eating disorders, and disordered eating

Obesity is an ever-growing problem in America that places a heavy burden on our healthcare system and causes many health problems. Eating disorders, while not affecting as large a proportion of the population as obesity, are the most deadly psychiatric illness and also place a heavy burden on our healthcare system. Obesity and eating disorders are typically treated as separate issues. Obesity is primarily a physical condition, while eating disorders are a physical and psychological condition. However, a growing amount of research has shown that there are links between obesity and eating disorders and that prevention interventions that target both have the possibility of being more helpful than separate prevention efforts. Furthermore, obesity and eating disorders have also been linked to disordered eating behaviors, such as excessive dieting and fasting, using laxatives, purging, and weight cycling. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to show that similarities between obesity and eating disorders/disordered eating exist and how focusing on shared risk factors will facilitate prevention efforts. This manuscript is divided into two main sections. Part I presents an overview of obesity, eating disorders, disordered eating, and where these issues intersect. This section also provides a theoretical background for understanding these issues and their prevention approaches. For the second part of this paper a critical literature synthesis on prevention approaches and methods was done using PubMed and Google Scholar. After articles were collected and analyzed, a comprehensive review of recent literature on obesity prevention, eating disorder/disordered eating prevention, and combined prevention efforts was done. This paper serves as a means of bringing to light the necessity of treating obesity, eating disorders, and disordered eating as issues on a weight-related spectrum. The literature synthesis can be used to guide public health officials in creating and implementing prevention programs that address the shared risk factors for obesity and eating disorders/disordered eating