Primary prevention of eating disorders through attitude change: a two country comparison

Primary prevention of eating disorders though increasing the knowledge base about eating disorders has been ineffectual, and in some cases has had a deleterious effect. The following study compared the efficacy of a classroom intervention using cognitive dissonance and repetition, in Italy and the U.S. In each country, health education classes of tenth grade students (U.S. n = 50, Italy n = 138) were randomly assigned to intervention and non-intervention sections. Subjects in the non-intervention sections received the standard health classes taught by their usual teacher. Students in the intervention sections received five classes taught by a psychologist (in the U.S.) or a psychiatrist (in Italy) specializing in eating disorders. Subjects in the intervention group also completed a cognitive dissonance essay designed to persuade a same sex friend that self-esteem should not be based solely on appearance. Intervention and non-intervention groups completed questionnaires before and after the intervention as well as at the end of the semester. The U.S. group had significantly higher Perfectionism scores and significantly lower Drive for Thinness scores (DT) than the Italian group. There was a significant decrease in DT for the intervention group in Italy. The intervention did not affect any other measures in the Italian group. There are clearly ethnic differences in comparing these two samples that may account for the baseline differences in eating attitudes. However, despite otherwise differing profiles, girls from each country had a desire to diet. This program appears to have made some impact in changing the attitudes away from a desire for thinness for Italian subjects. It is possible that many attitudes about weight, shape, and eating are established in this age group and a younger target audience would be more appropriate in the future.