Internet Program for Eating Disord

Posted by Lori Henry Nov 4, 2006

Called “Student Bodies,” the different facets of the program have appealing names like “Food, Mood and Attitude” and “Full of Ourselves.” The 8-week, on-line program was shown to reduce the development of anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating in women at risk for them.

Weekly Internet sessions were conducted about healthy eating, keeping a journal, body image and participating in an interactive discussion moderated by a Psychologist.

The researchers followed 480 female college students from California for a period of up to 2 years. The National Institute of Mental Health funded the study and the findings appeared in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

"This study shows that innovative intervention can work," said Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Because recovery is such a difficult thing to treat, new programs such as these proliferate. With the incidence of eating disorders doubling over the last 40 years, researchers are trying desperately to find out new ways help prevent them.

“This study is a very significant piece of research because it demonstrates that one can transfer what's known about risk factors into a program that can be applied at very low cost," said Michael Levine, a professor of psychology at Kenyon College in Ohio. "And it gives every indication of being able to reduce important risk factors."

The study is gaining acclaim quickly. "I can't think of a single computer-based eating disorders program that can hold a candle to these results," said University of Texas psychologist Eric Stice.