Do you want to find the latest evidence concerning mental ill-health in young people?
The Evidence Finder tool allows you to search published studies of treatment and prevention strategies for mental health and substance use issues in young people. You can use the filters to refine your search or browse by category.
Disorders - Eating Disorders
Winzelberg, A. J., Eppstein, D., Eldredge, K. L., Wilfley, D., Dasmahapatra, R., Dev, P., Taylor, C. B.
This study evaluated an Internet-delivered computer-assisted health education (CAHE) program designed to improve body satisfaction and reduce weight/shape concerns--concerns that have been shown to be risk factors for the development of eating disorders in young women. Participants were 60 women at a public university randomly assigned to either an intervention or control condition. Intervention participants completed the CAHE program Student Bodies. Measures of body image and disordered eating attitudes were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. At follow-up, intervention participants, compared with controls, reported a significant improvement in body image and a decrease in drive for thinness. This program provides evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of providing health education by means of the Internet.
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 68(2) : 346-50
- Year: 2000
- Problem: Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Self-help
, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
O'Dea, J. A., Abraham, S.
OBJECTIVE: This study examines the effect of an interactive, school-based, self-esteem education program on the body image and eating attitudes and behaviors of young male and female adolescents following the program and after 12 months. METHOD: All 470 eligible students (63% female) aged 11-14 years volunteered to participate. The intervention group students participated in the program, whereas the control group students received their scheduled personal development and health class. RESULTS: The program significantly improved the body satisfaction of the intervention students and significantly changed aspects of their self-esteem; social acceptance, physical appearance, and athletic ability became less important for the intervention students and more important for control students. Female intervention students rated their physical appearance as perceived by others significantly higher than control students and allowed their body weight to increase appropriately by preventing the age increase in weight-losing behaviors of the control students. One year after the intervention, body image and attitude changes were still present. These findings also held for the 116 students (63% females) with low self-esteem and higher anxiety, who were considered at risk for the development of eating disorders. These students also had significantly lower drive for thinness and greater body satisfaction following the intervention and the decreased importance of physical appearance to their self-esteem was present at 12 months. Control at-risk students significantly decreased their body weight, whereas the weight of the intervention at-risk students significantly increased. The intervention program was effective, safe, having no effect on measures of students' anxiety or depression, and was rated highly by students. DISCUSSION: This is the first controlled educational intervention to successfully improve body image and to produce long-term changes in the attitudes and self-image of young adolescents. This new approach to prevent the development of eating disorders by improving self-esteem may be effective, particularly if reinforced by teachers and family. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
International Journal of Eating Disorders, 28(1) : 43-57
- Year: 2000
- Problem: Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Abood, Doris A., Black, David R.
Examined risk factors for eating disorders among 70 female college athletes. Athletes in 7 major university sports were randomly assigned to either an 8-wk health education intervention or a comparison group. Results show that intervention Ss scored lower on drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction; comparison group was lower on self-esteem and nutrition knowledge. Regression analyses reveal that the educational intervention was associated with decreased drive for thinness and decreased drive for thinness was associated with decreased body dissatisfaction. The intervention is unique and shows promise for helping female collegiate athletes at high risk for eating disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).
American Journal of Health Behavior, 24(3) : 209-219
- Year: 2000
- Problem: Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation, Dietary advice, dietary change
Celio, A. A., Winzelberg, A. J., Wilfley, D. E., Eppstein-Herald, D., Springer, E. A., Dev, P., Taylor, C. B.
This controlled trial compared Internet- (Student Bodies [SB]) and classroom-delivered (Body Traps [BT]) psychoeducational interventions for the reduction of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors/attitudes with a control condition. Participants were 76 women at a private university who were randomly assigned to SB, BT, or a wait-list control (WLC) condition. Measures of body image and eating attitudes and behaviors were measured at baseline, posttreatment, and 4-month follow-up. At posttreatment, participants in SB had significant reductions in weight/shape concerns and disordered eating attitudes compared with those in the WLC condition. At follow-up, disordered behaviors were also reduced. No significant effects were found between the BT and WLC conditions. An Internet-delivered intervention had a significant impact on reducing risk factors for eating disorders.
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 68(4) : 650-7
- Year: 2000
- Problem: Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Santonastaso, P., Zanetti, T., Ferrara, S., Olivotto, M. C., Magnavita, N., Favaro, A.
BACKGROUND: To explore the impact of a prevention program on the eating and body attitudes of a sample of adolescent schoolgirls. METHODS: The program involved lessons and group discussions of general adolescent problems and eating disorders. A total of 254 16-year-old schoolgirls were evaluated, of whom 154 participated in the program and a further 154 subjects formed the control group. Variations in weight, Eating Attitudes Test and Eating Disorders Inventory at a 1-year follow-up were compared for the two groups. RESULTS: Among high-risk subjects, no significant differences were found between the prevention and the control group. The preventive program appeared to reduce significantly body dissatisfaction and to decrease the risk of bulimic attitudes in low-risk subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Providing schoolgirls with the correct information about eating disorders did not encourage unhealthy attitudes to eating and weight regulation practices. However, for high-risk subjects more intensive and specific intervention may be required, for which further research is needed.
Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, 68(1) : 46-50
- Year: 1999
- Problem: Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation
Smolak, L., Levine, M. P., Schermer, F.
Abstract - Researchers have recently called for the development of primary prevention of eating disor- ders programs aimed at elementary school students. The present study reports on the development of a curriculum for fifth graders designed to encourage healthy eating, exercise, and body image while dis- couraging calorie-restrictive dieting, exercising for weight loss, and the development of body dissatisfac- tion. The program consisted of ten lessons taught by the classroom teachers. The influence of the curricu- lum on (1) knowledge about nutrition, body fat, and dieting; (2) attitudes about fat people and own body (body esteem); and (3) behaviors, including attempts at weight reduction, consumption of fruits and veg- etables, and exercising, were evaluated in a pre - post controlled experimental design. There were 222 white public school children who participated in both the pre- and posttesting, 167 of whom were in the classrooms receiving the curriculum. Results indicated that knowledge was broadly improved by the cur- riculum. There were information improvements in terms of nutrition, effects of dieting, and causes of body fat. Attitudinal changes were less pronounced, although the curriculum did positively affect atti- tudes about fat people. Behavior, including eating patterns, exercise patterns, weight reduction attempts, and teasing of fat children, was not changed by participation in the curriculum. 1998 Elsevier Sci- ence Inc.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 44(3/4) :
- Year: 1998
- Problem: Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation, Dietary advice, dietary change
Winzelberg, Andrew J., Taylor, C., Sharpe, Tamara, Eldredge, Kathleen L., Dev, Pravati, Constantinou, Philip S.
This study evaluated an eating disorder intervention multimedia program modeled after self-help eating disorder treatment programs. It was hypothesized that women who completed the program would increase their body satisfaction and decrease their preoccupation with weight and frequency of disordered eating behaviors. Participants were 57 undergraduate females randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. Psychological functioning was assessed at baseline, at 3 mo postintervention, and at 3 mo follow-up. Intervention group Ss significantly improved their scores on all psychological measures over time. When compared to the control group, however, only the intervention group's improvements on the Body Shape Questionnaire were statistically significant. Findings indicate that minimally effective eating disorder intervention programs can be delivered. It is suggested that a revised program that eliminates interface problems and increases the structure of the intervention is likely to be even better received and more effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).
International Journal of Eating Disorders, 24(4) : 339-349
- Year: 1998
- Problem: Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Self-help
, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Mann, T., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Huang, K., Burgard, D., Wright, A., Hanson, K.
Prevention programs for eating disorders attempt to simultaneously prevent new cases from arising (primary prevention) and encourage students who already have symptoms to seek early treatment (secondary prevention), even though ideal strategies for these 2 types of prevention may be incompatible with each other. In the present study, an eating disorder prevention program was evaluated in a simple of female college freshmen. In the intervention, classmates who had recovered from eating disorders described their experiences and provided information about eating disorders. At follow-up, intervention participants had slightly more symptoms of eating disorders than did controls. The program may have been ineffective in preventing eating disorders because by reducing the stigma of these disorders (to encourage students with problems to seek help), the program may have inadvertently normalized them.
Health Psychology, 16(3) : 215-25
- Year: 1997
- Problem: Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation