HEALTH EDUCATION FOR TEENAGERS

Eating disorder education shows unintended effects


New York : Teaching teenagers about eating disorders can make them more knowledgeable about the problem,but it may also have some inadvertent effects,a new study suggests.
Yale university researchers found that when they presented female high school students with videos on eating disorders,it met the intended goal of boosting their knowledge about anorexia and bulimia.

However,the team saw that the students did not necessarily find the results of eating disorders unappealing.Teens who watched a video featuring a women recovering from eating disorders became more likely to view girls with eating disorders as "very pretty",and some thought it would be "nice to look like",the women in video.

The findings suggest that more research should go into the unintended effects of eating disorder education before such program are widely used,the researchers conclude in their article in the International Of Eating Disorders.

Overall,the study found,both videos increased the girls 'knowledge about anorexia and bulimia,but there were some unforeseen results as well,the girls were more likely to say afterward that "it is not that hard" to recover from an eating disorders.

"Depending on your point of view,that may or may not be a good thing."
"The best way for schools to help prevent eating disorders is to create a nurturing environment that automatically promotes healthy behaviors".Amy Norton,Reuters.The Daily Star.Kuwait,march-14-2007.