Community Efforts

This section provides information about community-involved factors regarding eating disorders and obesity and how they can be impacted by community efforts. The first two chapters discuss treatments for eating disorders, and how those treatments can effectively improve the lives of people suffering from eating disorders. “Treatment for Eating Disorders” provides information about medicinal treatments, psychological treatments, and other emerging forms of treatment. The “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” chapter discusses this type of therapy, which is currently known to be the most effective type of treatment for eating disorders. While treatments are specific to an individual person, these chapters are included in the community section because if people are more aware of these treatments, and they are utilized more often, then communities will become much healthier, happier, and accepting of those who struggle with this mental illness.

The chapter “The Line Between Body Positivity and Glorifying Obesity” dives into how body positivity is helpful in making people feel accepted, but it could also be causing an increase in obesity-related health problems. This chapter is a community-based topic because it explores the feelings of community acceptance for those who are obese, their journey to find communities in which they feel comfortable, and overall since this phenomenon could potentially influence the health of communities in a negative way.