WHEREAS, Eating Disorders Awareness Week raises critical awareness about the realities of eating disorders while providing hope, support, and visibility to individuals with eating disorders and their families; and

WHEREAS, Eating disorders are serious conditions that are potentially life threatening and have a great impact on both a person’s physical and emotional health. Too often, signs and symptoms are overlooked, and many individuals, families, and communities are unaware of the devastating mental and physical consequences of eating disorders, as well as the pressures, attitudes, and behaviors that shape them; and

WHEREAS, In the United States, 28,800,000 men and women will suffer from clinically significant eating disorders at some time in their life. These disorders affect people of all backgrounds and include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, unspecified feeding or eating disorders, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, other specified feeding or eating disorders, binge eating disorders, rumination disorder, and pica; and

WHEREAS, The National Eating Disorders Association strives to address the many misconceptions regarding eating disorders and to highlight the availability of resources for treatment and support; and

WHEREAS, Eating Disorders Awareness Week is a collaborative effort consisting primarily of volunteers, including eating disorder professionals, health care providers, students, educators, social workers, and individuals committed to raising awareness of the dangers surrounding eating disorders and the need for early intervention and treatment access; and

WHEREAS, Eating disorders usually appear in adolescence, in which 95 percent of people with eating disorders are between 12 and 25 years of age, and are associated with substantial psychological problems, including depression, substance abuse, and suicide. Eating disorders are serious illnesses, not lifestyle choices, caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. In fact, eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of any mental health disorders, and anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness; and

WHEREAS, Many cases of eating disorders go undetected, and less than one-third of youth with eating disorders will receive treatment; and

WHEREAS, Eating disorders experts have found that prompt intensive treatment significantly improves the chances of recovery. Therefore, it is important for educators, medical providers, parents, and community members to be aware of the warning signs and the symptoms of eating disorders; and

WHEREAS, Eating Disorders Awareness Week will encourage people to share their stories and experiences with eating disorders and body image struggles, highlight the importance of screenings for the early detection and intervention of eating disorders, dispel myths, and present eating disorders as a public health issue that affects all kinds of people, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, size, weight, or background; and

WHEREAS, The State of California recognizes the vital work of Eating Disorders Awareness Week in promoting public and media attention to the seriousness of eating disorders and for working to improve education about their biological and environmental causes, as well as how to help those who are struggling with these debilitating diseases; now, therefore, be it