Ohio State will host the first annual Eating Disorders Awareness Seminar tomorrow in the Drake Union.

The event will be one of several during the month of February, which is Eating Disorders Awareness Month, said Nancy Rudd, chair of the OSU Body Image and Health Task Force.

“The seminar is for both professionals and non-professionals alike that are interested in or have been affected by an eating disorder either directly or indirectly and want to know more about these devastating illnesses,” said Michele Renee, Columbus area coordinator for the National Eating Disorders Association.

Renee said actress Barbara Niven will speak at the event about her own recovery from an eating disorder.

The event is the first of its kind, and there’s been a strong response from the community, Renee said.

“This type of response from community members indicates to me a huge vested interest within our community and a clear message that there is obviously a need for this type of education in our community,” she said.

While the seminar is a new event, the OSU Body Image and Health Task Force has sponsored events on campus for almost eight years, Rudd said.

“We want people to know we have an organization on campus, which is the Body Image and Health Task Force,” she said.

In addition to the seminar, there will be a Body Image Bazaar on Wednesday in Larkins Hall, Rudd said.

“The whole goal of the bazaar is to raise awareness of body image issues and eating disorders,” said Jennifer Carter, OSU director of Sports Psychology. “We hope to reach the entire OSU community.”

The Body Image Bazaar will include displays that allow visitors to understand the issues related to body image.

Rudd said that disordered eating is a significant problem in the college environment.

“Results in a few studies show that about 60 percent of college students have tendencies toward disordered eating,” Rudd said.

But she said that does not mean they have clinical eating disorders. An example could include something as common as going through class or work all day without eating and then binging on junk food in the evening.

Rudd said she would like wellness to become a more visible part of OSU’s mission.

“That would raise the bar for all sorts of wellness,” she said.

The first annual Eating Disorders Awareness Seminar will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow in the Bowen Theatre of the Drake Union, and the Body Image Bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday in Larkins Hall.