Universal school-based eating disorder prevention: Benefits to both high- and low-risk participants on the core cognitive feature of eating disorders

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore two aspects not investigated in a 2.5-year controlled evaluation of an 8-lesson media literacy program. First, the impact of the program on over-evaluation of shape and weight. Second, an examination of the program effects by participant baseline risk of developing an eating disorder. Grade 8 students (N = 540, mean age = 13.62 years) were assessed at baseline, post-program, 6-month, and 2.5-year follow-up. Controlling for baseline observations, linear mixed model analyses revealed a main effect for group, favouring media literacy, and a group × risk interaction, where high-risk media literacy participants had significantly lower over-evaluation scores than high-risk control participants. Both high-risk media literacy girls and boys, and low-risk media literacy girls scored significantly lower at 2.5-year follow-up than controls. Media literacy can have a lasting, beneficial impact in reducing the core cognitive component of eating disorders in both high- and low-risk young adolescents.

Keywords:

• Eating disorders
• prevention
• over-evaluation of shape and weight
• universal
• risk factors

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the schools that participated in this study.

Financial support: SW is a SA Centre for Intergenerational Health Research Fellow. This study was partially funded by a Flinders URB grant and Australian Association of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – South Australian (AACBT-SA) branch grant. The author reports no conflict of interests.

Trial registry name: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry

URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au

Registration identification number: ACTRN12608000545369

Notes

Note: The effect of the baseline value has been statistically removed to allow for direct comparisons across program attendance and time. The covariate value was 0.86. Please note transformed scores are presented.

Note: The effect of the baseline value has been statistically removed to allow for direct comparisons across program attendance and time. The covariate value was 0.86. Please note transformed scores are presented.