College Students Determined To Help Themselves, Others During 'Eating Disorders Week'

DENVER (CBS4)- Some college students are focusing on living a healthy lifestyle during National Eating Disorders Week in hopes of starting a trend that will carry through everyday.

Estimates are 20 million women will suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their lives and it's not only the female gender: 10 million men are also impacted.

Students at the Denver School of Nursing are determined to help themselves and others by creating some visual reminders.

They created a life-size Barbie poster with her real-life measurements, 39-18-33.

"Just to show how unrealistic it is to try to match this sort of image," said one student.

"Impossible, yeah, to compare to," said another.

It's the image we're all inundated with: tall and then.

"The reality of the American woman if you go for statistics, it's the 5-foot-4, 140 pounds. The percentage of people that look like models is so miniscule," said Licensed Professional Counselor Carolyn Jones, who is also an Registered Nurse.

During National Eating Disorders Week the nursing students want people to reflect on themselves.

They covered the mirrors around campus urging students to look at their internal qualities-- not just the external.

"To make people realize they don't have to be dependent on what they see in the mirror," said Jones.

She believes it's easier said than done, "Most women in society don't love their body."

With education these students hope they can ease the pressure to be the ideal and prevent eating disorders in both men and women.

They are encouraging people to accept and even delight in their differences.

Body dissatisfaction starts early with 42 percent of first to third grade girls want to be thinner and 32 percent of adolescent males use unhealthy weight control measures.