Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: Eating disorders affect 30 million Americans during their lifetime and have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness. Eating disorders affect people of all body sizes, ages, races, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses. Eating disorders are complex, biologically based serious mental illnesses that include the specific disorders of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder, and other specified feeding or eating disorders.
Eighty percent of people with an eating disorder are normal or higher weight, and 81 percent of people with binge eating disorder are clinically higher weight or have obesity. One in 4 people seeking obesity treatment has an underlying eating disorder that is often undiagnosed. Children in higher weight bodies are more likely to engage in unhealthy weight-control measures, and 2/3 are at risk of an eating disorder. Research shows that focusing on weight talk, weight stigma, and dieting does not result in long-term reduction in weight; 2/3 of dieters will regain more weight than lost from dieting.
Studies show that shifting prevention focuses from weight and dieting towards long-term health practices, including a focus on body positivity, nutrition, decreasing weight-based bullying or harassment, and physical activity, without a focus on weight, BMI testing, or negative weight talk, reduces risk factors for populations affected by eating disorders and populations affected by obesity.