Eating disorders and disordered eating in children and adolescents

Poremećaji hranjenja smatraju se trećom najučestalijom kroničnom bolesti u adolescenata; često su prisutni i u djece te ih je potrebno tretirati kao vrlo značajan problem. Svjetska stopa prevalencije poremećaja hranjenja od početka 21. stoljeća do 2018. godine popela se s 3.4% na 7.8%. Istraživanje na uzorku hrvatskih srednjoškolaca pokazalo je da čak 50.4% djevojaka i 24% mladića ima iskustvo s provođenjem dijete. Nezadovoljstvo tijelom dovodi do negativnih stavova prema hranjenju, zabrinutosti tjelesnom masom i dijetom te naposljetku može dovesti do poremećaja hranjenja. Uz epidemiologiju poremećaja hranjenja vežu se specifični problemi jer oboljeli nastoje umanjiti ili prikriti svoje zdravstveno stanje te izbjeći stručnu pomoć. Smetnje hranjenja mogu se pojaviti već u ranoj dječjoj dobi u obliku jedenja nejestivih stvari i taj poremećaj može nestati odrastanjem. Kod različitih oblika poremećaja hranjenja zajedničko obilježje je pretjerani utjecaj tjelesnog izgleda i težine u samoevaluaciji pojedinca uz neredovite ili kaotične obrasce unosa hrane. Za postavljanje dijagnoze ovih bolesti potrebno je zadovoljavanje dijagnostičkih kriterija navedenih u Dijagnostičkom i statističkom priručniku mentalnih poremećaja (DSM-IV / DSM-V) odnosno Međunarodnoj klasifikaciji bolesti (MKB). Najveći problem u poremećajima prehrane je u neprepoznavanju navedenih znakova (ili negiranju postojanja problema) što vodi narušenom fizičkom i mentalnom stanju s lošim ishodom bolesti. Ranim otkrivanjem i praćenjem oboljelih može se prevenirati prelazak bolesti u kronični oblik i nastanak brojnih zdravstvenih problema.Eating disorders are considered to be the third most common chronic disease in adolescents; they are also often present in children and should be treated as a very significant problem. The global prevalence of eating disorders from the beginning of the 21st century to 2018 increased from 3.4% to 7.8%. Research on a sample of Croatian high school students showed that as many as 50.4% of girls and 24% of boys have experience with dieting. Body dissatisfaction leads to negative attitudes towards eating, concerns about weight and diet, and ultimately can lead to eating disorders. The epidemiology of eating disorders causes other specific problems because sufferers try to minimize or hide their health condition and avoid professional help. Eating disorders can appear already in early childhood in the form of eating inedible things and this disorder can disappear in adulthood. A common feature, in various forms of eating disorders, is the excessive importance of physical appearance and weight in the individual's self-evaluation, along with irregular or chaotic patterns of food intake. In order to diagnose these diseases, it is necessary to meet the diagnostic criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV / DSM-V) or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The biggest problem in eating disorders is to not recognize the mentioned signs (or to deny the existence of the problem), which causes a damaged physical and mental health state leading to a bad outcome of the disease. Early detection and follow-up of patients can prevent the transition of the disease into a chronic form and the trigger of numerous health problems