My sister's keeper: identifying eating pathology through peer networks

Area of Science:

• Adolescent health
• Eating disorder prevention
• Public health interventions

Background:

• Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions affecting adolescents.
• Early detection and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes.
• Peer support and awareness can play a role in identifying early signs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel intervention aimed at empowering middle and high school girls.
• To increase girls' likelihood of informing adults about early eating disorder (ED) signs in peers.
• To assess changes in girls' willingness to discuss eating behaviors and concerns with adults.

Main Methods:

• A novel intervention was delivered to middle and high school girls.
• Participants completed pre- and post-intervention measures.
• Measures assessed the likelihood of peer-to-peer communication and adult disclosure regarding eating behaviors and concerns.

Main Results:

• Following the intervention, participants showed a significantly increased likelihood of talking to an adult about a friend's eating behaviors.
• The intervention positively influenced girls' willingness to share concerns about a peer's eating with an adult.
• No significant changes were noted in the likelihood of discussing personal eating concerns with an adult.

Conclusions:

• The intervention is effective in increasing adolescents' willingness to report concerns about a peer's eating to adults.
• Empowering girls to act as allies can facilitate earlier identification of potential eating disorders.
• This approach holds promise for improving early intervention strategies in adolescent eating disorder prevention.