Eating disorder groups across Canada to mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2017 with #NotAChoice campaign
With eating disorders having a higher mortality rate than any other mental health condition, eating disorder groups across Canada will mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2017 with a new campaign to reinforce the message that eating disorders are not a choice.
From February 1 to 7, the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) and other groups across the country will host a variety of awareness-raising and educational activities to help dispel the myth that eating disorders are just a phase or a diet gone too far. Using the hashtags #NotAChoice and #EDAW2017, they will spread the message that eating disorders are serious biologically-influenced mental illnesses with potentially
life-threatening consequences — and they can affect people of all ages, genders, classes, ethnic backgrounds and abilities.
Six provinces and more than 50 municipalities across Canada will participate in Eating Disorders Awareness Week activities. Dozens of notable landmarks will be lit up in purple throughout the week to raise awareness of this important cause, including the Peace Bridge in Niagara Falls, the High Level Bridge in Edmonton and City Hall in Vancouver.
An estimated 600,000 to 990,000 Canadians are living with an eating disorder at any given time — a number greater than the combined populations of Prince Edward Island, Nunavut, Yukon, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association (BANA) is a not-for-profit, registered charity, community-based organization servicing Windsor-Essex county. Since 1983, we’ve been committed to the provision of specialized treatment, education and support services for individuals affected directly and indirectly by eating disorders.
As the primary regional source for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders, BANA is a leader in the promotion and acceptance of diverse body shapes and sizes through the adoption of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Since its inception, BANA has provided services to thousands of individuals of all ages, genders and social/economic backgrounds with an ongoing case load of approximately 300 clients. In addition, we annually organize and host 250 educational health promotion presentations and programs that reach more than 20,000 children and adults.
Services are provided without age restrictions and are supported by the Ministry of Health and the Erie St. Clair LHIN.
For more information about Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2017, visit www.bana.ca or www.nedic.ca.
