Editor's Note: In conjunction with the University Counseling Center, Scene presents a series of five columns this week that highlight eating concerns in recognition of Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

This week, all undergraduate Notre Dame men and women 18 years and older and not studying abroad will receive the Eating Concerns Survey 2000 from the University Counseling Center. The survey will assess the need on this campus for programs and services that address eating problems. We plan to do this by measuring how many students are struggling with their own eating concerns as well as determine how others eating behaviors impact significant others in their lives (e.g. roommates, boyfriends/girlfriends, teammates, etc.).

The Counseling Center has found that individuals tend to distort this issue. Some people believe that no problem exists while others fear there is an epidemic. In 1988 a survey was distributed requesting information from all Notre Dame undergraduate women about their own eating behaviors. Some of the results of this study are included in this article.

It is time to ask for input from the student body again so we can gain an accurate picture of how this issue impacts the day to day lives of all students. We are purposely sending the survey to all male students this time because we know this issue impacts their lives as well. Re-search studies suggest that for every ten women who struggle with their eating, one man is struggling with his eating as well. In addition, men have concerns about some of their friends' eating problems.

Participation is completely voluntary. Responses on the survey are anonymous and the surveys are not coded in any way. The more surveys that are returned, the more accurate the results will be. In addition, this survey, unlike the one in 1988, assesses the impact of eating concerns on significant others.

Surveys should be returned to the laboratory for social research through campus mail as soon as possible. A return campus mail envelope is enclosed with the survey for your convenience. If completing the survey creates concerns for you, please feel free to contact the Counseling Center for assistance at 631-7336.

This problem is not unique to Notre Dame. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have designated Feb. 12-19, 2000, as "National Eating Disorders Awareness Week." Programs are being conducted throughout the country to promote public awareness about this issue. We have provided a number of programs and services over the years, but gaining your input is especially important this year. Your responses will allow us to address what services and resources need to be offered in the future.

In 1988, we asked ourselves: "Does Notre Dame have more women struggling with eating disorders than other colleges and universities?" Christine Conway, Ph.D., Anne-Green Emrich, Ph.D., and Mary Raeker, Ph.D. reported the results in The University of Notre Dame Eating Disorder Survey, January 1989.

In terms of eating concerns, we were similar to other private, selective colleges and universities. The survey addressed five issues: (1) the extent of eating problems among Notre Dame undergraduate women; (2) the age of onset of eating problems; (3) the extent to which women with eating problems seek treatment; (4) the relationship between eating disorders and other familial problems; and (5) the behavior patterns which are symptomatic of an eating disorder.

Of the 2,229 women surveyed, 975 responded. This 44 percent return rate differs from typically cited surveys in that the entire population of undergraduate women at Notre Dame was sampled. The results of the survey should be interpreted with knowledge that the conclusions were based on respondents' self-reports. Also, diagnostic criteria developed for use in clinical interviews were applied to questionnaire data. Both of these procedures could have resulted in an inaccurate estimate of the presence of eating disorders in the Notre Dame community.

The study found seven percent of the sample were diagnosable as bulimic, while 0.6 percent were diagnosable as anorexic. Nine percent had all but one symptom of bulimia and four percent had all but one symptom of anorexia. Thus, 20 percent of the sample had either a diagnosable eating disorder or a serious eating problem. With the above-mentioned cautions, this would generalize to approximately 450 women at Notre Dame having serious eating disorders.

Results of the study also indicated that 46 percent of the respondents had some symptoms of an eating disorder and 34 percent were considered normal. While comparison with other studies is problematic, these results are generally consistent with other studies of college women with a slightly higher incidence of bulimia in the Notre Dame respondents.

The majority of women exhibited symptoms of these problems prior to entering Notre Dame.

However, more serious symptoms (such as self-induced vomiting and laxative abuse) seem to develop during college. The results suggest the progressive development of eating disorders in which weight control begins with strict dieting and culminates in purging and laxative abuse.

Relatively few of the women surveyed who reported eating problems had sought treatment either at the University Counseling Center or elsewhere. Eighty-seven percent of those with serious eating disorders and 95 percent of those with some symptoms had not sought professional help. The responses suggested that women either felt that their problem was not serious enough to warrant help or were embarrassed to have others find out about their eating problem.

Female students with eating disorders did not report a higher incidence of alcohol or drug problems than those with some eating symptoms or those considered to be normal eaters. A higher incidence of family problems with food and a higher incidence of forced sexual contact was found among students with eating problems than with the other two groups. One behavioral component of eating disorders seems to be obsessive thinking about food. In a student population, the preoccupation with food may impede academic concentration and interfere with social functioning.

What will the new survey tell us? Hopefully, much more than the 1988 survey did. We will learn about men's concerns with their own eating. We will be able to compare how women responded in 1988 to undergraduate women in 2000. We will be able to see how much others struggles with eating impact the lives of their friends, roommates, teammates and significant others. We will be able to evaluate what we do and how we do it. This has to be a cooperative effort.

If we do not hear from you, we do not know the best ways to respond. Please take 20 minutes and complete the survey as soon as possible. We thank you for your assistance with this project.

The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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