Abstract
Society’s obsession with thinness and body image is part of every school’s hidden curriculum. The ideal to be skinny and thin resulted in an escalation in eating disorders among adolescents in South Africa. Some of the learners are only in the senior phase (Grades 7 to 9) of the general education and training band. It is therefore timely to review the problem of eating disorders, especially among adolescents in South African public schools. The purpose of this article is firstly to provide policy-makers, curriculum developers, educational ad-ministrators and educators with knowledge of the biblical view of health and to illustrate the pedagogical potential of such a view. Secondly the purpose is to assist Christian educators in teaching learners in public schools the necessary knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to counteract eating disorders by using, among other things, biblical truths.
Highlights
According to scholars such as Ben-Tovim, Walker, Gilchrist, Freeman, Kalucy and Esterman (2001:357) one can think of food as the foundation of life, but for some people it could be the foundation of their misery
In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1994:76) an eating disorder is defined as an “unhealthy eating pattern that can develop primarily among women, but is seen in men as well
According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1994:81, 83) anorexia nervosa is characterised by deliberate weight loss through avoiding fattening foods; whilst bulimia nervosa is characterised by repeated
Summary
According to scholars such as Ben-Tovim, Walker, Gilchrist, Freeman, Kalucy and Esterman (2001:357) one can think of food as the foundation of life, but for some people it could be the foundation of their misery Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are not new concepts – they were first described in the 17th century. Christian educators could contribute to solving the problem of eating disorders among adolescents in South African public schools by using biblical truths in their teaching activities, which learners can either accept or reject. The problem that underlies this article centres around the following question: How should the problem of eating disorders among adolescents in South African public schools be approached from a biblical perspective?. This article attempts to assist Christian educators in teaching learners in public schools the necessary knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to counteract eating disorders by using among other things biblical truths. Special reference is made to the role of the educator in the Life Orientation classroom, as a trainer of sports and physical activities, as an adviser in the school and in the community and as pastoral tutor
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