Experts estimated that 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 women and girls and 1,000,000 men and boys may suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, as well as eating disorders that are not otherwise defined. Given that study after study has clearly proven that hungry children do not learn well, it’s not difficult to imagine how eating disorders can have a profoundly negative impact on the educational advancement of America’s students.

As with many other diseases and disorders, early diagnosis increases the treatment success rate. As eating disorders usually begin to manifest themselves in adolescence our Nation’s school teachers may be in the best position to recognize the signs and symptoms early and refer these students and their parents to people who can help. That is the approach taken by HR 88, which seeks to address this problem by authorizing schools to use federal funds to improve the identification of students with eating disorders, increase awareness of such disorders among parents and students, and train educators (such as teachers, school nurses, school social workers, coaches, school counselors, and administrators) on effective eating disorder prevention and assistance methods. If we are serious about preparing our children to compete effectively in a world market we need to address the question of eating disorders and HR 88 is one solution that is worth considering.