Researchers have identified the need to explore the context in which disordered eating is a reasonable response to violence and socio-cultural expectations, and the need for prevention programs that link fat phobia with other forms of oppression (Burstow, 1992; Herman, 1997; Orbach, 1994; Piran, 1999; Sesan, 1994; Steiner-Adair, 1994, Thompson, 1992). To date, the House of Mirrors Community Development Pilot Project (the "HOM") is the only community-based program in Canada that addresses these issues. The HOM is a visual arts installation of twenty-six full-length mirrors onto which women, girls and artists of various cultures, ages, and body types portrayed how violence and fat phobia have impacted their lives. The purpose of this multiple method study was to assess the efficacy of the HOM as a facilitator of working relationships between the health, business, art, and education sectors in Campbell River, B.C. The process was documented in two focus group interviews with five members of the HOM Subcommittee and in a survey of the HOM subcommittee and the Eating Disorder Program Advisory Committee. Evaluating the project's effectiveness distinguished different levels of community involvement as connections, relationships, and partnerships. The evaluation highlights differences between prevention and community development initiatives and the need for an emphasis on partnership building in social work. This knowledge will be used to inform future policy and practice decisions.

The present work has been implemented as a literature study aimed to investigate the prevalence, possibly causes and consequences of an eating disorder. In today's modern society individuals are living with a constant reminder from the media about how a person should look and act to blend into the social norms and expectations of the modern society. This literature review has been analysed on the basis of concepts such as identity, gender identity and gender. In addition previous research has been analysed in terms of themes, history, possible causes/risk factors, media, body image and control, depression, shame and guilt as well as culture. The above themes were analysed on the basis of behaviouristic theory and role theory. The conclusion of the present work is that an eating disorder is 10 times more common in girls than boys. Furthermore present work has shown that Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and UNS previously existed even though it was not documented as a medical condition. Another conclusion is medias exposure of the stereotypical body image which contributes to an increased development of the medical conditions mentioned above.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-60).

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2004 / The majority of studies that have examined the prevalence of eating disorders have sampled women from western societies. Theoretical models have emphasised Western socio-cultural factors as central in the development of eating disorders. Consequently, eating disorders have been conceptualised as disorders from Western industrialised countries where white women experience social pressures toward thinness. Within these societies, white women are believed to be at risk of developing eating disorders, while black women are not exposed to the same social pressure regarding weight. In the literature, it has been argued that African women are 'protected" from developing eating disorders because traditionally a fuller figure has been more acceptable. However, findings from recent studies are beginning to reveal a considerable degree of body perception dissatisfaction among black women, indicating that this debate is far from settled. In the African-American culture, in terms of body perceptions, people are not expected to be all built to look alike. A full, yet healthy body has represented strength, power and prosperity in the African culture throughout history. However, the thin ideal for women seems to be spreading across all ethnic groups. Incorrect body perceptions, dissatisfaction with one's body's appearance and a drive to be thin can lead to erratic eating patterns such as self-starvation and purging, which in turn can result in eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa. In view of the above, this study investigated body perceptions among black female high school learners in the Cape Metropole. The participants were 702 girls between 13 and 19 years old in ex DET high schools in grades 8 to 11. The study attempted to determine participants' body weight dissatisfaction; whether they perceived themselves as overweight, underweight or of normal weight; and whether they expressed influence by the media, as well as family and peers, on their body perceptions. The sample was divided into two age groups, namely a younger group of 13 - 15 years and an older group of 16 - 19 years. The chi-square test was used to test the statistical significance of the data. The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the younger age group (13-15 years) and the older age group (16-19 years) regarding body weight dissatisfaction and body weight perceptions. Furthermore, the expressed influence by the media and family/peers also show statistically significant results.

Researchers have identified the need to explore the context in which disordered eating is a reasonable response to violence and socio-cultural expectations, and the need for prevention programs that link fat phobia with other forms of oppression (Burstow, 1992; Herman, 1997; Orbach, 1994; Piran, 1999; Sesan, 1994; Steiner-Adair, 1994, Thompson, 1992). To date, the House of Mirrors Community Development Pilot Project (the "HOM") is the only community-based program in Canada that addresses these issues. The HOM is a visual arts installation of twenty-six full-length mirrors onto which women, girls and artists of various cultures, ages, and body types portrayed how violence and fat phobia have impacted their lives. The purpose of this multiple method study was to assess the efficacy of the HOM as a facilitator of working relationships between the health, business, art, and education sectors in Campbell River, B.C. The process was documented in two focus group interviews with five members of the HOM Subcommittee and in a survey of the HOM subcommittee and the Eating Disorder Program Advisory Committee. Evaluating the project's effectiveness distinguished different levels of community involvement as connections, relationships, and partnerships. The evaluation highlights differences between prevention and community development initiatives and the need for an emphasis on partnership building in social work. This knowledge will be used to inform future policy and practice decisions. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Minimal empirical research using longitudinal data to explore integrative models of eating disorder development exists. The purpose of this study was to further explore multidimensional models incorporating parental attachment, history of stress, appraisal/coping processes, internalization of the thin-ideal, negative affect, body image, and eating disordered behavior using prospective, longitudinal data. The models were evaluated using 238 participants who completed an initial series of self-report questionnaires during their first semester in college and completed follow-up questionnaires 6 months and 18 months later. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among the factors. Analyses confirmed that college freshman with insecure parental attachment relationships and those with a history of previous stressful experiences appraised the adjustment to college as more stressful and reported feeling less able to cope with the transition; these conditions predicted increased negative affect and increased eating disturbances. Women who reported experiencing negative affect and those that endorsed internalization of the thin-ideal also reported higher levels of body dissatisfaction; these women engaged in more disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. A second model investigating negative affect as mediating the relationship between the appraisal/coping process and eating disturbances also revealed that experiencing difficulties with the transition to college predicted later negative mood states. Further, women who reported increased negative affect also reported increased eating disturbances. Finally, cross-lagged and simultaneous effects between selected factors were evaluated. Results from these analyses are mixed, but they provide additional information about the predictive relationships among factors that play a role in the development of eating disorders. The results of this study provide valuable information about the development of eating disorders that can be used to aid prevention and treatment. Examination of these models in a large independent sample might provide confirmation of these relationships, and investigation of the models during different developmental periods might also provide important information about the development of eating disturbances and those individuals who are most at risk.

This project discusses the problem of eating disorders in dancers. The development of eating disorders can be attributed to sociocultural development, and psychological factors. Dance places an emphasis on thinness, and the pressure to obtain ideal standards of thinness appear to be particularly salient in the development of eating disorders in dancers.

Elite and collegiate athletes are subpopulations at increased risk for the development of disordered eating and pathogenic weight management strategies; such risks may extend beyond sport participation into sport retirement. As athletes self-weigh, whether during their time in competitive sport or in retirement, it would be expected that they also experience increases in body dissatisfaction and psychosocial distress. Results suggest both a longitudinal impact, as well as continued cross-sectional relationships between SW and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, former SW (at Time 1) is related to their levels of body satisfaction in relation to the Body factor and the Overall Body at Time 2. Particularly, athletes who weighed themselves 7+ more times a week reported significantly higher levels of body dissatisfaction on the Overall Body factor and the Body factor than retired athletes who did not self-weigh, all other groups did not differ significantly from each other. Cross-sectional relations were found between current (Time 2) SW and Body Satisfaction (Overall Body, and Body factors), Dietary Restraint, and Bulimic Symptomatology. In all cases, those who engaged in SW 7+ times per week had significantly higher scores than all other groups.

Eating disorders (EDs) cause irreversible physical damage, including organ failure and death. Although EDs receive considerable attention, the number of affected young women who seek help remains low. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the sociocultural and socioenvironmental factors influencing ED development from the perspective of young women, and to explore why the rate of EDs continues to rise in this population. The sociocultural model served as a guide for the study. Ten young women 18-24 years old from Southwest Ohio participated in in-depth, semi structured, face-to-face interviews. Data coding and analysis revealed recurring themes, with findings indicating that family relationships and social media were major factors influencing young women's perceptions of personal image and attractiveness. Participants described that social media's negative portrayal of beauty leads to internalization of the thin-ideal, leading to body dissatisfaction, with subsequent negative dieting behaviors that increase the risk for eating disorder development. Family relationships were described as the main source of positive support to neutralize these external negative forces by creating environments where these young women are accepted. A combination of media, availability of fast food, and society's portrayal of beauty, had significant influences on ED development by creating "constant internal struggles" on body image, good food choices and acceptance in society. The study impacts social change by adding new information for public health program developers and policy makers that may be used to introduce ED programs in local schools that will empower these young women to seek help without fear of stigma or alienation.