A Government task force or a similar State initiative should be established to look at the increase in young women suffering from eating disorders, a specialist in the area has said.
Dr John Griffin, director of the eating disorders unit at St Patrick's Hospital, Dublin, said the numbers with anorexia and bulimia in the State were growing. "Unless we do something to heighten awareness of the problem it will get worse."
His call for a Government initiative comes as a conference, organised by the British government, gets under way in London. The Body Image Summit, which is chaired by Ms Tessa Jowell, Minister for Women, is examining the role of the fashion industry and media in promoting a belief that thinness is a measure of beauty.
Ms Jowell said the pressure to be thin could undermine self-esteem. "Young women themselves, their mothers and grandmothers have all told us they want to see more women with a wider range of body shapes and sizes . . . as models in magazines."
Some 4,500 girls and women suffer from anorexia nervosa in the State, while more than twice that are thought to be bulimic. The illnesses are predominantly among women, though it is thought some 150 men in this State suffer from an eating disorder.
Questioning how useful such a summit would be in Ireland, the editor of Irish women's magazine IT, Ms Leanne de Cervo, said fashion magazines were "but the conduit" for the fashion agenda set in Britain and the US, as well as by advertisers.
"However, I would say that body image and pressure on women to be an unnatural shape is something that should be at the forefront of every fashion editor's mind," she said.
She was conscious of the types of models used on the cover of IT and these were healthy women in the 25-35 age group.
"We have turned away pictures which were the wrong image. It comes down to being responsible, not talking about diets but rather about a healthy lifestyle." She said there "would be no harm" in having a similar initiative from the Government as that taken in Britain yesterday. "But you would wonder how much we can do when so much of the agenda is being set outside Ireland."
Ms Jennifer Kelly, chairwoman of the eating disorder sufferers' support group, Bodywhys, said she wanted an initiative.
"I'd like to see education and prevention programmes in the schools. I'd like to see regulation of the fashion industry. I'd like to see models representative of the average woman. And I'd like to see more treatment, more beds, more access to services for people suffering with eating disorders, and support for their families.
"We're hearing horror stories about young people and what these illness do to them and their families. And it would appear that they are getting younger."
A spokesman for the Department of Health said a number of national programmes existed to tackle eating disorders. These included health education programmes in primary and post-primary schools; the annual National Healthy Eating Week; the publication of information leaflets on eating disorders; and funding support for Bodywhys.
Bodywhys helpline: (01) 283 5126.
