Great Jeans Giveaway event marks Eating Disorders Awareness Month 

BY BARBARA MOORE

In recognition of Eating Disorders Awareness Month, Baptist Health Systems of South Florida will participate in the national Great Jeans Giveaway campaign during the week of Feb. 21-25.

The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness about body image and eating issues, and the negative effects of dieting on self-esteem. Throughout the week, people may drop off tight or uncomfortable jeans that no longer fit, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., at the following locations: Women's Health Resource Center located at Baptist Medical Arts Building, 8950 No. Kendall Dr., Suite 105; Baptist Medical Plaza at King's Bay, 8750 SW 144 St., Suite 200, and Baptist Medical Plaza at Coral Gables, 320 Giralda Ave.

Information will be given on steps you can take to achieve fitness, improve body attitudes and encourage self-acceptance by changing the size of your jeans to fit your genes. Collected jeans will be donated to charity.

Constant concerns about body weight and shape can turn into a vicious cycle of body dissatisfaction and obsession that can turn into an eating disorder. In the United States, 10 million girls and women as well as 1 million boys and men are struggling with eating disorders. Baptist Health Systems offers one of the only nutrition therapy programs for eating disorders in Miami.

For more information about eating disorders or the Great Jeans Giveaway, call eating disorder specialist Ivonne Hamilton at Baptist Outpatient Center, 305-273-2484.