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National Lilac Bow Day 2021 is the day dedicated to eating disorders. As every year, it aims to involve more and more people to raise awareness of the problem and thus do more prevention. Let’s see below what it is and what are the data for this year.
National day of the lilac bow 2021
Lilac Bow Day is scheduled for March 15th every year. On this date, the public administrations, in relation with the bodies and organizations concerned, propose to deal with a very delicate topic that is not always talked about, namely eating disorders. Key topic of the day precisely, the goal is to raise awareness of more and more people on the topic in order to do more prevention today rather than cure tomorrow.
This day comes first promoted in 2012 by the Association “Mi Nutro di Vita” but was institutionally recognized only on 19 June 2018. The idea was born from the initiative of a father, Stefano Tavilla, who lost his 17-year-old daughter Giulia to bulimia. Since then, the project has grown and was finally sanctioned by the Prime Minister.
During this day and in honor of it, events, meetings, book presentations, information banquets, lilac colors of fountains or monuments are organized throughout Italy.
What are eating disorders?
But first of all we need to explain what eating disorders are and which diseases are part of them. These are theanorexia, the bulimia, L’obesity, the binge eating, L’EDNOS and many new forms not yet known nationally. In short, the expression “eating disorders” refers to all those disorders of nutrition and nutrition that are characterized by a constant malaise and psycho-physical disorder which are connected and manifest in food and in the relationship with it. A physical, mental and emotional problem therefore follows.
The goals of the day
We see below the main objectives of the day dedicated to eating disorders:
- protect the rights of those affected by a DCA
- raise awareness of the issue, providing real information, trying to break down walls and prejudices, and above all explaining the serious consequences that these disorders can cause on a psycho-physical level
- raise individual and collective awareness about the social significance these disorders are having
- create a network of solidarity towards those affected by DCA.
The latest figures in Italy
As we have just pointed out, the social impact that these disorders are having is increasingly huge and serious. After all, the data speak for themselves: in 2020 in Italy there were 230,458 new cases compared to 163,547 in 2019. This unfortunately is also due to the period of lockdown and pandemic which involved us starting from March 2020, a period in which the number increased by 19%. There was also a lowering of the average age of people who asked for help.
The increase in people suffering from DCA therefore has one social cause. The lack of sociability, aggregation and even leisure, especially in adolescents, but also the increase in family tensions and deprivation, has led to the occurrence of a psycho-physical discomfort. This discomfort occurred and found its maximum expression in food and in the relationship with it. Unfortunately, there was not only an increase in new cases but also a worsening of those already existing with relapses in people who had managed to recover.
This is why the National Day of the lilac bow is important, precisely to make continuous prevention, to talk about these inconveniences and to bring more and more people closer to a problem that could affect everyone.
