Researchers have known for some time that women who have previously had eating disorders face a special set of challenges when they begin feeding their own children: They may unintentionally pass on problematic eating behaviors to their kids.
Now a Stanford research team is studying how to help these moms. They are recruiting families with a child between the ages of 1 and 5 whose mother had anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder in the past. In the 16-week study, the researchers will work with both the mother and her partner to build healthy family interactions around food.
From our announcement about the study:
“The data on feeding practices of mothers who have had eating disorders are very worrying,” said Shiri Sadeh-Sharvit, PhD, a visiting scholar at Stanford who is leading the new study. “These mothers are good parents who want only the best for their children, but they struggle with eating-disorder thinking. It’s something that comes and blurs their parenting.”
Prior research has shown that mealtime conflict is more common in families in which the mother has had an eating disorder. These mothers may overfeed or underfeed their children, though underfeeding is more predominant. They also have more difficulty recognizing hunger and fullness cues in themselves and their children, which makes it harder for them to help their kids learn to respond to these sensations. Children whose mothers have had eating disorders are more likely than other kids to be dissatisfied with their bodies and engage in emotional eating, binge eating or restrictive eating.
Sadeh-Sharvit is collaborating with James Lock, MD, PhD, who has a long track record of demonstrating the effectiveness of eating-disorder treatments that involve the patient's family in the treatment process.
Local families who are interested in participating in the research can contact Sadeh-Sharvit at (650) 497-4949 or shiri_sade@yahoo.com for more information. Stanford's Eating Disorders Research Program also maintains an online list of all of their eating-disorder studies that are currently seeking participants.
Previously: Promoting healthy eating and a positive body image on college campuses, A growing consensus for revamping anorexia nervosa treatment and Story highlights need to change the way we view and diagnose eating disorders in men
Photo by Indiana Public Media
