Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams said more needed to be done to reduce the availability and cost of liquor, and the marketing of alcohol. Read more

Eating disorders are characterised by unhealthy or extreme views of one's weight and/or shape, which leads the young person to engage in severe, restrictive and dangerous eating and/or exercise behaviours. These behaviours in turn impact on the child's life in a such a pervasive and significant way that it impacts on their ability to function in their daily lives.

Eating disorders are most common among females and while they can start at any age, teenagers between 13-18 years seem to be most at risk (TPTPR). An important question for parents is then, how do you identify and eating disorder and how to do you go about helping your child?

What are the types eating disorders?

There are several types of eating disorders, with the most recognised being Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.

Anorexia Nervosa is characterised by significant weight loss with an accompanying intense fear of gaining weight or becoming ‘fat'. People with Anorexia Nervosa see their bodies in a distorted way, typically believing they are fat even when they are extremely underweight.

Bulimia Nervosa is characterised by seemingly uncontrollable episodes of eating to excess, followed by behaviours aimed to rid the body of the calories ingested, such as undertaking excessive exercise, taking laxatives and vomiting.

Even if your child does not quite fulfill the symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa, two significant risk factors for developing a more serious eating disorder are:

● Disordered eating: For example, restrictive dieting, fasting, self-induced vomiting, avoiding food groups, use of diet pills. Australian and New Zealand research indicates that engaging in moderate dieting behaviour puts young people at a six-fold risk of developing an eating disorder. Disordered eating is in fact the most significant indicator that your child could be developing an eating disorder. Continue reading

Sources

• Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: The Telegraph

Speaking to a Traffic Institute conference in Hamilton yesterday, the former prison officer turned author admonished wealthy, so-called "helicopter mums", who "hover" over their sons, refusing to accept they can be blamed for anything.

"Part of the reason, I think, why we have the carnage we have on our roads is because the first time he gets freedom from his mother is when he buys a car.

"And suddenly he starts to practise his decision making and he runs the orange light and a truck is coming the other way."

Society needs to care enough about boys to say no, she said.

"There is a saying: One boy equals one brain and two boys equal half a brain.

The Transport Ministry classifies young males as high-risk drivers, who make up 25 per cent of all at-fault drivers in fatal and serious injury crashes.

The problem is that some mothers refuse to allow their sons to learn about actions and consequences, she said.

"Mothers who go into schools and tell the school they are wrong for disciplining their son. We have to allow them to live with their consequences."

Mrs Lashlie said shock-horror campaigns to stop road accidents did not work because teenage boys had a `it won't happen to me' mentality.

She has a pretty good idea of the type of campaign she wants to see.

"It's a simple ad: Mothers, stop making their lunches.

"Mothers, stop picking up their laundry," she said.

Inspector Leo Tooman, Waikato road policing manager, agrees.

"Every mum thinks their son is a good boy. The reality is that they are not all good boys. My philosophy is that we try to keep them alive until they are 25 and then they are on their own."

Mothers need the courage and conviction to stand up and say `no' to their sons, she said.

• Source: Waikato Times
• Image: The Otago Daily Times