The conference, "Advances in Understanding and Preventing Eating Disorders: Focus on the College Population," will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Flintridge Room of the University Student Union on the east side of the campus off Zelzah Avenue.

The idea for the conference grew out of a survey university counselors took last fall of Northridge students, said Ellen Mayer, coordinator of CSUN's Joint Advocates on Disordered Eating, which works with students to get them to adopt healthy eating habits.

"About 28 percent of the 1,000 students surveyed indicated they had some sort of eating disorder or disordered eating habits," she said. "This raised our concern and we decided to address this from not only our perspective but from the perspective of people who deal with this issue on college campuses across the state."

Disordered eating is a psychological term used to describe the unhealthy eating habits of individuals who do not have full-blown eating disorders, such as someone who purges their meals only occasionally rather than three times a week, Mayer said

Counselors, psychologists and dieticians from California State University and University of California campuses across the state as well as several private universities and colleges are expected to attend the conference.

"Eating disorders and disordered eating are major issues on all of our campuses," Mayer said.

She said conferees will examine some of the causes of eating disorders as well as some of the new advances in technology to combat the problems. They will also explore the issues surrounding athletics and disordered eating and ways to encourage healthy eating habits.

"We want to launch a dialogue to find out what others are doing on their campuses and what we can do in common to provide a healthier environment for our students and encourage healthier life styles," Mayer said. "A healthier student is a happier student and a more productive student."

For more information about the conference, call (818) 677-3102.

The conference takes place during CSUN's annual Eating Disorders Awareness Week observance, which includes a weeklong series of events designed to draw attention to the issue.

California State University, Northridge has more than 31,000 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor's and 41 master's degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the third largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher education."