title: Eating disorders in childhood and adolescence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discuss eating disorders in children and adolescents regarding their characteristics and risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles were searched in the PubMed and ScieLO databases, combining the terms 'children', 'adolescents', 'eating behavior', 'eating disorder', 'bulimia', and 'anorexia', both in Portuguese and in English. Studies published between 2007 and 2011 were retrieved and 49 articles that assessed eating behavior and disorders, nervous anorexia and bulimia, and non-specific eating disorders were selected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eating disorders, especially non-specific ones, were common during childhood and adolescence. The presence of such disorders was attributed mainly to family environment and exposure to the media. Eating disorders were frequently followed by psychological comorbidities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among the risk factors for eating disorders, social and family environment and the media were the most important ones. The influence of the media and social environment has been related to the worship of thinness. As to family environment, mealtimes appeared to be fundamental in shaping eating behavior and the development of disorders. Eating disorders were associated with nutritional problems (growing impairment and weight gain), oral health (cheilitis, dental erosion, periodontitis, and hypertrophy of salivary glands), and social prejudice.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Nutrição, Departamento de Nutrição, UFSC, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil.
authors.forename: Juliana de Abreu
authors.initials: Jde A
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Emilia Addison M
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Erasmo Benício S de M
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Trindade
authors.forename: Giovanna Medeiros R
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fiates
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000453:epidemiology; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors