VCH warns schools 30 Hour Famine dangerous to teens

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The 30 Hour Famine may seem like a great way for students to raise money for hungry children, but Vancouver Coastal Health is warning schools it could put teens at risk of developing eating disorders.

Dietitian Helen Yeung says fasting by only drinking juice or water, even for just 30 hours, could be damaging to teens still developing their body image. “Fasting can lead to bulimic behavior, and the mechanism behind that is that when you fast or restrict, your body is deprived both physically but also psychologically,” says Young, explaining “it starts with restrictive eating, leading to deprivation, which then leads to overeating later and we’ve seen that.”

Some of the other concerns over fasting includes teens getting headaches, losing concentration and getting irritable. “It certainly can affect people’s moods.”

Yeung admits not all teens are at risk, but says there are lots of alternative fundraisers and activities including the Me to We program and Free the Children Club. “It’s just studying food insecurity and looking at the complexity around food insecurity that involves not only economic but social and political aspects for countries and people to have adequate access to food at all times.”

She says she sees teens dieting, living in environments with negative fat talk or pressures to be thin, facing pressure from peers, family or sporting activities, and for them, activities that involve abstaining from food only reaffirm negative beliefs.

The 30-hour famine started in Calgary in 1971 by two teens, and raises money for hungry children around the globe through World Vision. This year, the event is scheduled to take place on April 25th and 26th.

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