⚫ Bill for more statewide help

⚫ More than one bill has been introduced

⚫ Miss New Jersey involved to spread the word


TRENTON — Bulimia, anorexia, binge eating — all ways disordered eating can affect someone’s day-to-day life.

If a lawmaker gets her way, this population will receive more support at the state level.

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Assemblywoman Andrea Katz, D-Burlington, has introduced a bill to create the Office of Disordered Eating Prevention within the state’s Department of Health. A research grant program is also a part of her vision.

“I don’t have all of the answers on how we’re going to solve these problems, but that’s why we need to create this office and start looking into these grants,” Katz said to New Jersey 101.5.

The assemblywoman says there are more than 750,000 New Jerseyans who are going to have an eating disorder in their lifetime.

Katz wants this population to speak up, ask for help and feel heard, and sees this bill as the platform to do just that.

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“Being able to bring around that awareness and start those conversations is going to do a lot to help our young people in trying to find that help that they need,” Katz said.

The bill was first introduced in May, and text of the bill can be found on the Legislature’s website.

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Another way Katz is looking to help: social media.

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There’s also a bill she’s co-sponsoring that cracks down on social media platform algorithms and their influence to promote unhealthy eating habits; the bill’s text can be found on the Legislature’s website.

“Those algorithms can send you down quite the rabbit hole into seeing some things that aren’t very healthy. That’s going to be something that we’ll have to talk to the social media companies about,” Katz said.

Miss New Jersey Elizabeth Mendel has also partnered with Katz to bring attention to these bills, using her past and her platform “Image is Everywhere” to advocate for awareness.

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