N.J. lawmaker wants to create an office to combat eating disorders

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A South Jersey lawmaker wants to raise awareness about eating disorders.

Assemblymember Andrea Katz introduced a bill to create the Office of Disordered Eating Prevention within the state’s health department. Under the proposed legislation, the office would manage a grant program and fund research on what causes eating disorders, as well as look into prevention measures.

Another bill sponsored by Katz would ban social media platforms from promoting content that encourages disordered eating.

“We don’t want our youth, our most vulnerable population, to be seeing ads for diet pills. That’s not something that a teenager should be worried about,” she said. “I have two teenage daughters, and this is a big concern, what they’re seeing on social media, and the images that they’re seeing are affecting their mental health, which is a huge issue.”

According to the Harvard University Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders, 9% of New Jerseyans — close to 800,000 people — will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.

Elizabeth Mendel, Miss New Jersey 2024, is supporting Katz’s efforts. Her  platform during the Miss New Jersey competition was, “Image is everywhere.”

“I am speaking from a personal struggle,” she said. “I have been dealing with an eating disorder since I was in high school.”

Mendel, who is 22 years old, said during her teen years she was bulimic, which can lead to bouts of overeating followed by fasting or vomiting.

She said she’s using her position as Miss New Jersey to help young women, young men and children understand that having an eating disorder “is not taboo, it’s something that needs to be spoken about in schools, because the problem is only getting worse.”

Mendel has been visiting schools and Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops across the state with a message.

“The way that you look in the mirror, the way you think you look in the mirror, is not the only thing that matters. It matters how you see yourself in your brain, how smart you are, your friends and the people that are around you,” she said.

Debra Wentz, president and CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, said expanding awareness about eating disorders is critically important.

“Many eating disorders can lead to fatalities, especially anorexia nervosa; it has an extremely high mortality rate compared with other mental disorders,” she said.

Wentz said researchers are finding eating disorders are caused “by a complex interaction of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological and social factors.”

It doesn’t just affect teenage girls

Wentz said eating disorders are twice as likely to impact women than men.

“Rates of eating disorders in males, though, are increasing at a faster rate than for females, and men often experience a delay in recognizing their behaviors as possible symptoms of an eating disorder,” she said.

Jason Wood, director of community engagement for the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, said eating disorders can impact anybody regardless of gender, age, socioeconomic background or race.

“I, myself, am a male that battled an eating disorder,” he said. “I lead our men’s peer support group. Every week we get together and support each other in a space that really isn’t recognized yet, because of that stereotype that eating disorders impact one certain demographic, (teen girls), but they can impact anybody.”

Katz, whose two daughters are 13 and 15, said, “Many people are in the shadows and are ashamed to talk about it. It’s a big issue that’s becoming worse, and we need to do something about it. I want them to have their self-confidence and know that their worth is not based on what they ate for dinner that night.”

Wentz pointed out that eating disorders affect different populations disproportionately.

“A 2019 study found that Hispanic and Latina and Latino, and Black, African American and Asian Americans, are more likely to engage in disordered eating behaviors than their white counterparts,” she said.

A separate study found people of color with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or to receive treatment.

Mendel said educating kids, as well as their parents, about eating disorders is necessary.

“You know, the conversation starts at home first. It’s really, really important to have open and honest conversations, because when a child feels they can have an open and honest conversation, that’s when the help really starts,” she said.

Wood said if someone suspects a friend or loved one has an eating disorder, they need to be able to listen to that person.

“Have that initial conversation with someone, but never approach it from a ‘You, you, you’ perspective. Express your concerns that you have, and then give them the opportunity to open up and to talk to you,” he said.

People who believe they suffer from an eating disorder should reach out to their primary care physician and a mental health professional, Wentz said.

A list of provider organizations is on the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies’ website.