Dealing with the pressures of living in dorms, eating dining hall food and fitting into a social group can contribute to students developing eating disorders, mostly women, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Diseases.
College students most at risk-the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Diseases reported that 86 percent of patients say they developed an eating disorder before the age of 20, with more than 7 million women and 1 million men battling some form of an eating disorder.
Although both Boston University and organizations around Boston offer resources and support for people suffering or recovering from an eating disorder, coping with living in university residences and eating in dining halls, as well as social stress can worsen an existing eating disorder or slow recovery.
The Office of Residence Life is part of the university-wide Wellness Team that combines various departments and resources to come up with ways to develop and help students.
“Eating disorders are something we discuss and we will continue to discuss,” Residence Life Director David Zamojski said.
In addition to Wellness Team discussions and continued RA training throughout the year, Zamojski said some RA groups attended an eating disorder panel to get more information about warning signs and students’ experiences.
Because many eating disorder sufferers develop or worsen their condition while in college, many students try to hide their disease from friends, roommates and RAs, nutrition professor Dr. Paula Quatromoni said.
“Living in dorms means living in close contact with others,” she said. “That can be difficult for someone struggling with an eating disorder who needs to maintain secrecy about what they are dealing with.”
If an RA observes something of concern or hears about something from a resident, Zamojski said the RA is supposed to go to the hall director, with whom they will discuss possible plans. These commonly include discussing resources on and off campus and talking to a professional consultant to find the best course of action.
“We have to make sure we proceed very carefully because some of the matters the RAs confront are of a very personal nature,” he said. “We try to develop the plan and if necessary, we will brief the RA on how the best way to do that is.”
Although Zamojski said he did not have access to specific statistics about eating disorders, he said the ORL have encountered them.
The introduction of the Sargent Choice dining options last year and the variety of food available in dining halls allows students to make healthy choices and follow dietary plans while recovering, but even these dining options can be “scary” for people with eating disorders, Quatromoni said.
The group mentality about eating in dining halls or making eating an outing or event “can be extremely stressful” and contributes to worsening an “unhealthy relationship with food,” she said.
“The lack of control over what food is served, the portion size that is put onto one’s plate and the ingredients in the recipes in the dining hall is of heightened concern and typically causes affected individuals to resort to eating only food that they purchase and only food that they prepare themselves,” she said.
Some warning signs that may indicate that there is a potential problem include secretive eating, living and eating alone, lying about having eaten and compulsive, ritualistic and restrictive behavior, Quatromoni said.
But Quatromoni said these are just a few of the many warning signs. Although some signs may be present, it does not mean there is definitely a problem and if no signs are visible, there still may be a problem.
These signs are often most visible to roommates and friends, which can prove stressful, according to Nutrition Club President Sarah Butler.
“It can get really frustrating,” the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences senior said. “You want to just yell ‘Just Eat!’ and try to help them, but sometimes it is hard to deal with it.”
By informing the RAs at the panel discussion, the club hopes to help them know how to respond and support people on their floors. Nutrition Club Secretary Corinne Ng said for many students, RAs are the authority figures that are easiest to turn to.
“When someone with an eating disorder is confronted they often try to hide it,” she said. “So when friends and roommates know, we want people to know that it is important to approach the RAs first and make sure that they are equipped to handle it.”
