[Adta] Fw: COLLEGE WOMEN AT RISK FOR EATING DISORDER MAY BENEFIT
FROM ONLINE INTERVENTION
Barbara A Busse
busse002 at mc.duke.edu
Tue Aug 8 10:05:53 EDT 2006
For those interested in eating disorders. Barbara Busse
----- Forwarded by Barbara A Busse/MCLibrary/mc/Duke on 08/08/2006 10:04 AM
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DISORDER MAY BENEFIT FROM ONLINE
INTERVENTION
08/07/2006 04:50
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COLLEGE WOMEN AT RISK FOR EATING DISORDER MAY BENEFIT FROM ONLINE
INTERVENTION
A long-term, large-scale study has found that an Internet-based
intervention program may prevent some high risk, college-age women from
developing an eating disorder (
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/eatingdisorders.cfm). The study, funded by
the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH), was published in the August 2006 issue of the "Archives of
General Psychiatry."
The researchers conducted a randomized, controlled trial of 480 college-age
women in the San Francisco Bay area and San Diego, Calif., who were
identified in preliminary interviews as being at risk for developing an
eating disorder. The trial included an eight-week, Internet-based,
cognitive-behavioral intervention program called "Student Bodies," which
had been shown to be effective in previous small-scale short-term studies.
The intervention aimed to reduce the participants' concerns about body
weight and shape, enhance body image, promote healthy eating and weight
maintenance, and increase knowledge about the risks associated with eating
disorders.
The online program included reading and other assignments such as keeping
an online body-image journal. Participants also took part in an online
discussion group, moderated by clinical psychologists. Participants were
interviewed immediately following the end of the online program, and
annually for up to three years thereafter to determine their attitudes
toward their weight and shape, and measure the onset of any eating
disorders.
"Eating disorders are complex and particularly difficult to treat. In fact,
they have one of the highest mortality rates among all mental disorders,"
said NIMH Director Thomas Insel, M.D. "This study shows that innovative
intervention can work, and offers hope to those trying to overcome these
illnesses."
Over the course of a lifetime, about 0.5 to 3.7 percent of girls and women
will develop anorexia nervosa, and about 1.1 to 4.2 percent will develop
bulimia nervosa. About 0.5 percent of those with anorexia die each year as
a result of their illness, making it one of the top psychiatric illnesses
that lead to death.
Anorexia generally is characterized by a resistance to maintaining a
healthy body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and other extreme
behaviors that result in severe weight loss. People with anorexia see
themselves as overweight even when they are dangerously thin. Bulimia
generally is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed
by self-induced purging behaviors. People with bulimia often have normal
weights, but like those with anorexia, they are intensely dissatisfied with
their bodies. All eating disorders involve multiple biological, behavioral
and social factors that are not well understood.
The intervention appeared to be most successful among overweight women who
had elevated body mass indexes (BMIs) of 25 or more at the start of the
program. In fact, among these women in the intervention group, none
developed an eating disorder after two years, while 11.9 percent of the
women with comparable baseline BMIs in the control group did develop an
eating disorder during the same time frame. BMI is a reliable indicator of
a person's body fat by measuring his or her weight and height.
The program also appeared to help women in the San Francisco Bay area who
had some symptoms of an eating disorder at the start of the program, such
as self-induced vomiting; laxative, diet pill or diuretic use; or excessive
exercise. Of those in the intervention group with these characteristics, 14
percent developed an eating disorder within two years, while 30 percent of
those with these characteristics in the control group developed an eating
disorder during the same time frame.
The authors suggest that the intervention helped these high-risk women
become less concerned about their weight and shape, while also helping them
understand healthier eating and nutrition practices.
"This is the first study to show that eating disorders can be prevented
among high-risk groups," said lead author C. Barr Taylor, M.D., of Stanford
University. "The study also provides evidence that elevated weight and
shape concerns are causal risk factors for developing an eating disorder,"
he added.
The study suggests that relatively inexpensive options such as
Internet-based interventions can have lasting effects on women at high risk
of developing an eating disorder. However, the authors note that the
results cannot be generalized widely because there were differences in the
women's baseline characteristics and treatment responses between the two
sites used in the study.
Also, the rate at which the women stuck with the program was very high --
nearly 80 percent of the online program's Web pages were read -- suggesting
that the participants were unusually motivated. "Women who are less
motivated may be less likely to participate in or stick with this type of
long-term intervention," added Taylor.
In addition, women with restricted or no access to computers would not be
able to benefit from an online intervention program. However, the authors
conclude that such Internet-based programs may be a good first step in a
diligent program designed to screen women for potential eating disorder
risks.
Additional study authors are Susan Bryson, MS, MA of Stanford University;
Kristine H. Luce, PhD of Stanford University; Darby Cunning, MA of Stanford
University; Angela Celio, PhD of the University of Chicago; Liana B.
Abascal, MA of San Diego State University; Roxanne Rockwell of San Diego
State University; Pavarti Dev, PhD of Stanford University; Andrew J.
Winzelberg, PhD of Stanford University; and Denise E. Wilfley, PhD of
Washington University Medical Center.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) mission is to reduce the
burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain,
and behavior. More information is available at the NIMH website,
http://www.nimh.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- "The Nation's Medical Research
Agency" -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational
medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for
both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its
programs, visit www.nih.gov.
##
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Taylor CB, et al. Prevention of Eating Disorders in At-risk College-age
Women. "Archives of General Psychiatry." August 2006.
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This NIH News Release is available online at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2006/nimh-07a.htm.
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