February is eating disorder awareness month – a month dedicated to shedding light on a major issue among college-age students.

In the simplest terms, an eating disorder can be described as an unhealthy relationship with food, said Stephanie Annett, a registered dietician at the Student Health Center.

Annett said severe weight loss, a refusal to maintain a healthy weight and a preoccupation with food are some of the warnings that somebody may be dealing with an eating disorder.

“Sometimes it’s like a slippery slope,â€Â Annett said. “It could out start very innocently, liking wanting to diet and lose a couple pounds. Somewhere along the way it gets a bad energy to it.â€Â

An unhealthy relationship with food can lead to damaging results on the body. Annett said osteoporosis, malnutrition, the body̢۪s failure to heal itself and chronic diseases may result from not getting the proper intake of food. She also said that binge eating is another major eating disorder that could lead to significant weight gain. The most common forms of eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia.

Eating disorders are a prominent issue among college women in the United States. According to a press release from moretome.org, 40 percent of college women in the US have an eating disorder.

“This is a social issue that is affecting our society and our country,â€Â said Sarah Silverman, the community program manager to the MORE to Me movement.

The MORE to Me campaign is an Internet petition that promotes positive body image through government action.

According to the Web site, the digital signatures will be sent to presidential candidates, state senators, congressional committee members, influential educational policy makers, political advocacy groups and editors of teen-directed magazines in hopes of shedding light on eating disorders.

Silverman said she knows it̢۪s going to take some time.

“It’s going to take a lot of parties to become involved in it,â€Â Silverman said. “This declaration is about getting in the forefront and bringing some awareness to it, because right now there really isn’t a dialogue around this.â€Â

The ideal outcome for the petition is to send 10,000 signatures to various groups to show them that eating disorders are a significant problem. The next step would be to put in place educational systems to inform young people about eating disorders in an attempt to stop a problem before it happens.

Silverman said that action starts with each individual.

“It’s treating yourself better, whether you are a male or a female,â€Â Silverman said. “It’s the simple things you can do everyday. Make yourself feel better.â€Â

Action can also start locally through the Student Health Center. It offers a number of services that are aimed at helping people with eating disorders.

The psychiatric department can help with the psychological part of an eating disorder. Annett said eating disorders are linked to depression, family issues and other psychological issues.

Another aspect to recovery is learning to eat correctly. Annett is the Health Center̢۪s registered dietician and works with patients to get them back to a healthy weight.

If you think you or a friend may be suffering from an eating disorder, Annett said the best thing a person can do is to go and talk with their health care provider.