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OBJECTIVE: This study compared the efficacy of a media literacy program and a self-esteem program designed to reduce general and specific risk factors for eating disorders. METHOD: Four classes of 86 grade 8 students (53 boys and 33 girls), mean age of 13 years, were randomly assigned to either a control condition or one of the two intervention conditions. Assessment of general and specific risk factors was carried out at baseline, postintervention and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: At postintervention the media literacy group had lower mean scores on weight concern than the control group (p =0.007) but the self-esteem group did not. There were some differences on self-esteem measures at the 3-month follow-up. DISCUSSION: Media literacy programs combined with an interactive, student-centered framework may potentially be a safe and effective way of reducing risk factors for eating disorders. The impact of teaching style needs to be further evaluated in prevention research.
Wade et al. (Thu,) studied this question.