About Eating Disorders
Types of Eating Disorders
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A review of the evidence
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A review of the evidence
Internet-delivered intervention for changing body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in teenage girls
Heinicke BE, Paxton SJ, McLean SA, et al.
The Issue:
Teenaged girls are surrounded by media images showing extreme slimness. They are subjected to peer pressure to attain unrealistic weight levels and body proportions. The perceptions that normal weight or even being slightly overweight are socially unacceptable and barriers to popularity, lead many girls to adopt disordered eating patterns that could lead to bulimia or anorexia nervosa. Since teenagers so familiar with Internet use, online treatment programs are becomining popular. This study looked at whether or not an online group program called My Body, My Life: Body Image Program could improve the girls’ perceptions of their body size and alter their disordered eating.
The Research:
This was a randomized controlled trial of an online group therapy intervention conducted in high schools in Australia. Seventy-three girls aged between 12 and 18 either received the intervention or were assigned to the control group. The weekly online sessions with 4 to 8 girls lasted for 90 minutes and were facilitated by a trained psychotherapist. The participants did homework consisting of self-help activities and then participated in the online groups. Discussions focused on learning strategies to change their eating behaviours and improve their body image. Tests focused on body shape satisfaction, eating behaviours, weight loss behaviours, symptoms of eating disorders, the BMI, and media influences on attitudes towards their own appearance. A test was also done to detect symptoms of depression.
The Outcome
Compared to the control group, girls who took part in the online group sessions improved on their concerns about body shape and their tendency to compare themselves to others. Disordered eating also improved, as did their perceptions of media pressures and understanding of media as a source of information. BMI scores did not change in either group.
Conclusions
The
My Body, My Life: Body Image Program successfully helped girls to improve their body image and disordered eating habits.
The preceding is a summary of:
Heinicke BE, et al. Internet-delivered targeted group intervention for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in adolescent girls: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 2007; 35: 379-91.
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