A Pella Middle School student is working to raise awareness about eating disorders through a class project. Sarabeth Decious is in Kristin Schulz’s 7th grade class, and was working on issues of global importance. Decious says she chose eating disorders because of the pressures her fellow teenagers face and some of the struggles in her own family.

“My teacher Mrs. Schulz–she was teaching us about the Global Goals [from the United Nations], and the third Global Goal is good health and wellness,” she says. “She had us think through what that looked like and how we could make a difference and help the U.N. complete that Global Goal.

“I know that a lot of people struggle with eating disorders and mental health, and mental health is a big part of good health and wellness.”

According to her research, 600,000 Iowans are suffering from mental health issues, and about 15 percent of those are eating disorder related.

“My sister struggled with her mental health, and I wanted people to be more aware and so they didn’t have to go through what she had to, because I know it was very hard for her,” she says.

Hear more from Decious on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.