Being Overweight and Developing an Eating Disorder in the Czech Republic

Since 1991 the "slimming industry" has grown rapidly in the Czech Republic. A survey among participants in a nationwide health education program ("Losing weight in a reasonable way") showed that an alarmingly high number of women are using dangerous methods to lose weight. A study among female university students revealed similar unhealthy practices related to the highly prevalent desire to be slimmer. The findings point to the difficult question: What kind of health education is helpful to prevent overweight without increasing the risk for the development of eating disorders?