Today, Butterfly Foundation, the national charity for all people in Australia impacted by eating disorders and body image issues, is launching Let’s Talk Eating Disorders: Support and Resources in Arabic to increase awareness and encourage help-seeking among these culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Let’s Talk Eating Disorders: Support and Resources in Arabic has been developed to support communities where risk of developing an eating disorder and access to treatment may be even further impacted by stigma, cultural attitudes and beliefs towards mental health, body image and food, as well as the complexities of navigating multiple cultural identities and the pervasive Western body and beauty ideals. With the first initiative Let’s Talk Eating Disorders: Support and Resources in Arabic funded by The Midwinter Ball Committee, Butterfly hopes to secure further funding to produce resources for other multicultural populations.
As the third most spoken language in Australia, following English and Mandarin[1], Arabic-speaking communities were chosen as the first target population. A large proportion of refugees to Australia are Arabic speaking, and additional stressors associated with migration include separation from family and support networks, social isolation, racism, language barriers, and financial hardship, all of which can contribute to poor mental health outcomes. Evidence also suggests that in some Arabic-speaking communities eating disorders are not considered a serious mental illness, and instead are seen as just about weight or lack of self-control.
Z, who has lived experience of an eating disorder and wishes to stay anonymous, says, “Culture definitely plays a role – there’s stigma about weight and pressure to conform to societal standards. Particularly within the Muslim society, it’s like eating disorders don’t exist and we are constantly reminded that our parents came from the wartime, when there was famine”.
Let’s Talk Eating Disorders: Support and Resources in Arabic aims to address barriers, myths and stereotypes, reduce stigma and ensure health professionals, organisations and individuals in the community are aware of Butterfly’s bilingual information and resources. The campaign also encourages community members to contact Butterfly’s National Helpline counsellors who provide free and confidential support, are cultural safety trained, and can connect help-seekers to interpreting services when needed.
The campaign has launched with a video series made in collaboration with community, featuring a young woman with lived experience of an eating disorder, a carer, and an Arabic-speaking GP, and is supported by targeted social media and radio adverts translated into Arabic to increase awareness and engagement. All content will signpost to a dedicated webpage with translated information and resources, including tip-sheets about risks and warning signs.
Dr Jim Hungerford, Butterfly’s CEO, said, “Eating disorders do not discriminate and access to information or support should not be limited by the language someone speaks or their culture. We are so pleased that we can now offer information and resources to Arabic-speaking communities, help to reduce stigma and shame around eating disorders, and encourage help-seeking by anyone who may be affected.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please know that help is available. Visit Butterfly’s website at www.butterfly.org.au/arabic for resources, support, and to talk to someone who understands. If you need an interpreter, say ‘Arabic’ when you contact our Helpline.
[1] According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2021 census
