On this International Day of Eating Disorders (TCA), a new survey reveals that 44% of French women say they have suffered from dietary imbalances in their lives.
- Eating disorders (TCA) affect nearly one million people in France.
- More than half of them are not screened and do not yet access care!
On the occasion of World Eating Disorders Day or TCA, Qare, specialist in teleconsultation in France, reveals the results of a study conducted with IPSOS. It shows that 44% of French women say they have suffered from dietary imbalances in their lives, including 53% for several years.
Younger generations more affected
This problem is more pronounced among the younger generations: 61% of women aged 16-24 and 59% of 25-34 year olds are concerned (vs. 43% of 35-54 year olds and 32% of over 55 year olds). The same goes for women with a lower level of income (less than 21,000 euros net per year): 51% (+15 points vs women with an income above 36,000 euros net per year).
Psychiatrist Fanny Jacq explains: “Young women are particularly subject to societal injunctions at the time of puberty, and there are many of them concerning food. Without however becoming a severe form of eating disorder (ED), young girls are subject to a double pressure: that of a body that is changing much more than that of young boys, added to the pressure of sexuality. Controlling their diet, controlling their weight gives them the feeling of mastering and responding to their deep anxieties. This is why that we are talking about food anxiety: anxieties are expressed in the relationship they have with food.”
Polarization
Women’s eating disorders are particularly polarized, with a strong opposition between restriction and excess. On the one hand, there are withdrawal disorders (45% of women affected report chaining “yo-yo” periods between dieting and excess), and on the other, compulsive disorders (the same proportion – 45% – report taking excessive food).
And if this polarity is marked in all generations, food anxiety also takes many other forms: nearly one in three women affected is obsessed with healthy eating or with making up for each gap through sport. One in four counts all the calories swallowed. “Finally, 19% suffer from food phobias. Disorders that are found in greater proportion among 16-24 year olds”, concludes the investigation.