The primary prevention role of the nurse in eating disorders.

Mental health depends on establishing an equilibrium between bodily needs, drives, and demands from the environment. A balance must be maintained between the basic human urges, self-centered wishes, and the demands of both conscience and society at every stage of human development. Eating and feeding behaviors are bound up with family dynamics and are often a barometer of the family's emotional climate and parent-child interactions. A positive feeding relationship is a concrete measure parents can be taught to provide for the child's healthy psychosocial development. Although the development of eating disorders is complex and caused by a multiplicity of factors, community-wide education by nurses about nutrition and feeding at successive developmental levels from infancy to old age can decrease the incidence of eating disorders in the community. Evaluation of prevention programs is essential to guarantee the refinement of preventive efforts over time.