Researchers for Florelle’s ‘Ohana conducted a healthy body image study on Kaua‘i and found that one in every five students between grades seven and 12 has low body image satisfaction. “It’s kind of a disease of secrecy,” said Dr. Tiffany
Researchers for Florelle’s ‘Ohana conducted a healthy body image study on Kaua‘i and found that one in every five students between grades seven and 12 has low body image satisfaction.
“It’s kind of a disease of secrecy,” said Dr. Tiffany Niide. “People don’t come in for help for an eating disorder. They may come in and say they’re feeling dizzy, but they won’t tell you it’s because they haven’t been eating.”
Niide, a pediatrician and child psychiatrist, serves as the director of Florelle’s ‘Ohana, a community-based organization dedicated to promoting a positive body image.
Members consisting of parents, teachers, counselors and physicians, created this organization in memory of the South Shore’s Florelle Gwaltney, who battled anorexia for almost 40 years.
Ultimately, complications with anorexia led to her death.
Its goals are to create, implement and evaluate a prevention program for the youth that raises body image perception and self-esteem and encourages healthy lifestyles. In the near future, Florelle’s hopes to have a facility where people can get help with their body image.
“Kaua‘i has very limited resources to address eating disorder clients and their families,” Niide said.
To help implement their plans, they’ve set up two free workshops for Eating Disorder Resource Day today at Kilohana. Eating Disorder Resource Day is an opportunity to share ideas, learn about and find new resources for anorexia, bulimia and obesity.
Registration for the workshops begin at 8:30 a.m.
The first workshop “Healthy Body Image Training” starts at 9 a.m. and ends at noon. A certificate of completion will be given out.
“What we want to do is train the teachers so they can help put this program of a healthy body image into practice,” Niide said.
“We’ve got a strong community presence here from the Department of Health to the ‘Y’ all coming in wanting to use this program.”
The “Healthy Body Image Training” workshop is curriculum-designed to promote positive body image and prevent eating and weight-related problems among elementary school students.
“We want to get the programs started in elementary schools because we did our study with seventh-graders and found that these risk factors of eating disorders are already present,” Niide said. “We’re really focused on education and prevention. We want to get this in the schools early to prevent this.”
Those attending the workshops will break for lunch at noon and resume with the second workshop, “Comprehensive Update on Eating Disorders,” at 1 p.m.
This workshop includes an update on the full spectrum of eating disorders with a focus on evidence-based treatments. Some physicians and health care professionals may be able to collect continuing medical education credits.
Niide sees low body image satisfaction and eating disorders as a continuing problem that as of right now is a hot-button issue.
“This is a big thing,” she said. “It’s all of a sudden getting this huge buzz, especially with all the news of that Brazilian model dying of complications of anorexia. More people are realizing that this is a problem.”
Gwaltney’s sister, Henrietta, said she felt helpless while witnessing Florelle battle anorexia.
“When she developed the disease no one knew what it was,” she said. “It was a total feeling of helplessness not knowing what was going on and why she looked like that.”
“What we want to do with this organization is build a component of support of family members who are dealing with the disease because that same kind of helplessness I felt with my sister can still happen today,” said Henrietta.
With the backing of the University of Hawai‘i, Niide flew to Barcelona to present the results of her body image study to the International Eating Disorder Association.
She will also present those results to the state department of education at the end of this month.
Florelle’s ‘Ohana currently operates under the Kaua‘i Rural Health Association.
“We’ve established the need for a program like this … it’s full steam ahead now,” Henrietta said.
They are currently expanding and looking to fill a complete staff of administrators and fund-raisers for the organization.
To volunteer, donate or learn more information about Florelle’s ‘Ohana, contact Niide at 346-2964 or visit www.florellesohana.org.
“The bottom line is saving kids lives so they don’t have to go through what my sister went through,” Henrietta said.
• Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
