The Nation's Food Mood

The food mood of the nation is markedly gloomy, according to a new survey(1) from the Priory Group which will be published on Monday 23 August.

"Priory has undertaken this new consumer research to highlight the uneasy, unhealthy relationship that adults of all ages, classes and regions have with food, eating and their bodies," says Peter Smith, eating disorders specialist and hospital director at The Priory Hospital Roehampton. "Overall, 43 per cent of adults throughout the UK admitted that they eat to stifle negative feelings like boredom, loneliness, stress, anger or after arguing with their spouse or partner, while 40 per cent believe that they are overweight. Over one-quarter think that they would be happier or that their lives would be better if they were thinner, while another 25 per cent have felt guilty after eating."

"Contemporary society's veneration of thinness, our acceptance of distorted body images in the media and the relentless pressure on women and men to conform to a certain body type means that increasing numbers of people will be affected by potentially life-threatening mental health issues related to food, weight and body image," says Peter Smith. "Many people now realise that eating to the point of obesity threatens their physical health. Priory's objective in conducting this survey is to highlight the nation's despondent food mood and to focus attention on the issues of disordered eating, weight and self-image - the way we use food to deal with our emotions and the effects of this on our mental and physical health."

New recognition of eating disorders

According to Peter Smith, the medical profession needs to change its stereotyped image of the typical eating disordered patient. "In the past, doctors, like most people, believed that the typical eating disordered patient was a young anorexic. However, we now know that the most common eating disorders also affect the high-achiever in her mid-thirties to mid-fifties who is successful in most facets of her life, yet suffers from either bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder as a dysfunctional method of coping with low self-esteem, stress, insecurity and other issues," says Smith.

The Priory Group has witnessed a significant rise in young female patients aged 17 to 30 presenting with both eating disorders and addictions.

"We are now seeing many patients who manifest some symptoms of anorexia nervosa and some of bulimia nervosa," says Peter Smith. "These patients are slightly underweight, binge and vomit, then don't eat - their symptoms oscillate, reflecting a ceaseless struggle with their weight, eating and emotions. The sufferer's symptoms often go unnoticed by family, friends and the medical profession."

Priory hospitals have an increasing number of female patients in their 30s and 40s seeking help with marked obesity who have made the link between their emotions, binge-eating and consequent weight gain.

"Many people with eating disorders recognise that they have a serious problem but, rather than seek medical help, they utilise nutritional clinics and alternative therapies to tackle the problem. Unfortunately, these approaches do not address and resolve the serious psychological issues driving eating disorders," Peter Smith says.

The Priory Group is the leading independent provider of eating disorders services in the UK ; in 2003, 85% of the Group's eating disorders patients were publicly-funded.

Key national findings

- 47% of adolescents aged 16 - 24, 40% of those aged 35 - 44 and 40% of those in the North East have eaten because they were bored.

    - 33% of women have felt guilty after eating.

    - 31% of women think that they would be happier, or that life would be better, if they were thinner.

    - 27% of women have eaten because they were stressed, as have 26% of those aged 45 - 54.

    - 21% of adolescents aged 16 - 24 have eaten because they were stressed.

    - 27% of ABs (up-market) have felt guilty after eating.

    - 15% of those aged 15 - 24 and 15% those aged 45 - 54 have felt mout of control when eating, or have had trouble stopping eating once they had started.

    - 14% of women have eaten out of loneliness.

    - 13% of adults aged 45 - 54 have eaten because they were angry.

Mental health of the nation

The Office of National Statistics' 2000 census revealed that 300 in 1,000 people experience mental health problems annually. Of these, 230 visit their GP, 102 are then diagnosed with a mental health disorder, 24 are referred to a specialist psychiatric service and 6 become psychiatric inpatients.

Eating disorders are a particularly virulent form of mental illness.   According to the Eating Disorders Association, the prevalence rate for bulimia is between 1 per cent and 3 per cent of young women; for anorexia nervosa, between 1 per cent and 2 per cent. 90,000 people are receiving treatment for anorexia or bulimia at any one time.

The Priory Group is Europe 's largest independent provider of mental healthcare and specialist education services,

EDA commentary

"This survey clearly shows the role feelings play in our relationship with food. The results help to explain why this can lead to the development of an eating disorder, and we welcome the way it reinforces our message that

'Eating disorders are about feelings, not about food'." Susan Ringwood, Chief Executive, Eating Disorders Association.

(1) NOTES - THE SURVEY:

- This survey was undertaken as part of RSGB's General Omnibus Survey for August 2004.

- The survey was based on a representative sample of 2,000 adults.

- Respondents were interviewed at home by interviewers organised by SFR's Regional Managers according to RSGB Omnibus' detailed instructions about the survey and administrative procedures. The back-checking procedures which were carried out met the requirements of the Market Research Society Interviewer Quality Control Scheme (IQCS).

(24/8/04)