CHILDREN as young as three have been treated for eating disorders in East Lancashire, shock new figures have revealed.

More than 120 children have received help for conditions such as anorexia or bulimia in the past five years.

But health bosses said the number suffering from eating disorders could actually be much higher, with only around 20 per cent of those affected seeking treatment.

The shock figures have led to one East Lancashire MP to call for more support in schools and the promotion of role models of all shapes and sizes.

Malcolm Bourne, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said that around five per cent of children who suffer from an eating disorder would die as a result of it.

He said: “I would estimate that we only deal with around 20 per cent of children who suffer from eating disorders.

“Evidence shows that it can take 18 months to two and a half years for children to realise they have an eating disorder or seek treatment for it.

“We only work with children up to 16 years of age, and the majority of eating disorders in children start in the teens, so some will end up being treated in adult services.

“Long term eating disorders have the worst death rates in child mental health. Around five per cent die from them eventually, people can be very resistant to treatment.”

Gordon Birtwistle, MP for Burnley and Padiham, said more should be done in schools to teach young people about healthy eating and body image.

He said: “It is quite shocking and it is very worrying that children aren’t eating properly. You need to have a balanced diet.

“You can’t help the body shape you have and there is no need to aspire to anything different. We can’t all be stick thin wearing size zero clothes.

“The importance of eating healthily young will affect you in later life, you could notice a real effect on your health in the years to come.”

A total of 125 children under 18 have been treated for eating disorders by the East Lancashire Child and Adolescent Service (ELCAS) since 2007.

Two six-year-olds and four seven-year-olds have also been referred for treatment as well as a three-year-old child, who was treated this year, but 109 of them were aged between 12 and 16.

There are three community teams dealing with child and adolescent services, which cover eating disorder referrals in East Lancashire.

One covers Blackburn with Darwen, one Hyndburn, Ribble Valley and Rossendale and the other Burnley and Pendle.

There is also an intensive support team in place to deal with the more severe and complex cases.

Dr Bourne said: “If a patient is referred to us they are offered an initial assessment. If they have an eating disorder we then work with the patient to manage their diet and weight.

“We look at setting a target weight range for the patient and look at their eating patterns and diet. We encourage them to keep a diary so we can monitor the progress.

“We very much try and involve families in the work. We have specialised family therapy teams.

“There is no straight forward fix for eating disorders though, it is not like a broken leg for example.”

The number of young girls treated for eating disorders in 102, with 23 young boys.

The majority suffered from anorexia or bulimia.

Dr Bourne said that the pressure put on young people to conform to a certain body image could be blamed on a large number of eating disorders.

“Most young people who have an eating disorder have a distorted body image,” he said.

“Everybody else sees them as very thin and skeletal but they will think they are fat.

“I do think societal pressures contribute to it in some way. For some young people you can trace it back to being teased about being fat.

“There is a pressure in society for young women to conform to a certain physical shape.

“There is some evidence that the level of eating disorders in young men is going up which some people associate with an increase in the amount of male models that we see.”

A spokesman for eating disorder charity b-eat said anyone concerned they may have an issue with food should seek help.

He said: “Eating disorders are serious psychiatric conditions and the earlier treatment is sought the better the long term prognosis.

“Anyone worried about themselves or someone they know should consult their GP in the first instance.”