Why it can be so difficult to maintain a healthy weight in today’s society will come under discussion at a free public talk taking place in Aberdeen next week.
Good to be Thin?is the name of Monday’s (May 9) event which is the last in the series of Café Med talks organised by the University of Aberdeen’s Public Engagement with Science team.
Dr Kirsty Kiezebrink, RCUK Fellow at the University of Aberdeen, and Dr Philip Crockett, Consultant Psychiatrist, Royal Cornhill Hospital will discuss eating disorders and obesity at the session taking place at the Suttie Centre Cafe on the Foresterhill campus at 6pm.
Dr Kiezebrink said: “We will discuss the sometimes pernicious effects of dieting on health, including eating disorders. We will also talk about the fact that dieting is so often ineffective and that there is a lack of evidence that dieting has a lasting effect in most cases. We’ll also look at how dieting may, in fact, play a significant role in rising obesity figures.”
Dr Crockett added: “The talk will also cover the role of the media in encouraging confused and unhealthy social pressures around body image and eating.
“In addition we will look at our current policies and public health campaigns and how effective these have been, drawing on examples from other countries of alternative ways to support a healthier attitude to food and body weight.”
Dr Kiezebrink added: “The Café Med events allow plenty of time for the public to ask questions so it should be a really interesting debate about our world where only thin seems to be ok.”
Café Medis supported by a Science Engagement grant from the Scottish Government. For more information about the Café series please see: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/science/cafescience/