Vodafone, HSBC fund to launch eating disorder awareness campaign

Vodafone Malta Foundation and HSBC Cares for Children Fund are supporting Taste Freedom, a local campaign promoting better understanding, prevention and effective treatment for anorexia and bulimia, two eating disorders. 

Taste Freedom is an initiative undertaken by Louisa Bartolo and is endorsed by the Health Promotion Department. It will be officially launched on Friday during a breakfast meeting at the Hilton, Portomaso.   

Anorexia is an eating disorder characterised by an irrational fear of gaining weight, even when dangerously thin. It can lead to severe health risks, including cardiac arrest, brittle bones, brain damage and ultimately, death. Bulimia nervosa is a severe, life-threatening disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of uncontrolled binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting or other purging methods in an attempt to avoid weight gain. 

"Unfortunately, as these illnesses thrive on secrecy and are so overlooked in Malta, there are no reliable statistics available on eating disorders. In a typical week, an eating disorder consultant at Mount Carmel Hospital sees approximately five new cases.  Bearing in mind that many other psychologists and psychiatrists are faced with similar cases on a regular basis and the reluctance of sufferers to come forward, this figure is alarming.

"A large proportion of those suffering from the illnesses are between 10 and 20 years old. Only half of anorexics ever fully recover from the illness and approximately 11 per cent of those suffering from anorexia nervosa die as a direct result of starvation or the severe depression and suicide that are brought on by it. This is the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness and is definitely not an issue to be taken lightly," Ms Bartolo, Taste Freedom's promoter, said. 

Several representatives from the medical fields are expected to attend the official launch, including psychologists and psychiatrists, dieticians and nutritionists. Guest speaker for the event is Professor Bob Palmer, a senior lecturer in psychiatry at the University of Leicester Medical School and an honorary consultant psychiatrist with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. He is also editor of the European Eating Disorders Review. 

More information on the campaign is available at www.tastefreedom.org. Taste Freedom is also being supported by Tumas Group of Companies, Bianchi Group of Companies, Agenda Bookshop and Kristal Water.