Effects of a prototype Internet dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program at 1- and 2-year follow-up

A group-based eating disorder prevention program wherein young women explore the costs of pursuing the thin ideal reduces eating disorder risk factors and symptoms. However, it can be challenging to identify school clinicians to effectively deliver the intervention. The present study compares the effects of a new Internet-based version of this prevention program, which could facilitate dissemination, to the group-based program and to educational video and educational brochure control conditions at 1- and 2-year follow-up.

Female college students with body dissatisfaction (n = 107; M age = 21.6, SD = 6.6) were randomized to these 4 conditions.

Internet participants showed reductions in eating disorder risk factors and symptoms relative to the 2 control conditions at 1- and 2-year follow-up (M -d = .34 and .17, respectively), but the effects were smaller than parallel comparisons for the group participants (M -d = .48 and .43, respectively). Yet the Internet intervention produced large weight gain prevention effects relative to the 2 control conditions at 1- and 2-year follow-up (M -d = .80 and .73, respectively), which were larger than the parallel effects for the group intervention (M -d = .19 and .47, respectively).

Although the effects for the Internet versus group intervention were similar at posttest, results suggest that the effects faded more quickly for the Internet intervention. However, the Internet intervention produced large weight gain prevention effects, implying that it might be useful for simultaneously preventing eating disordered behavior and unhealthy weight gain.