Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Feb;13(1):16-9.

Eating disorders and the role of the media

Wendy Spettigue  1 , Katherine A Henderson
Affiliations

Eating disorders and the role of the media

Wendy Spettigue et al. Can Child Adolesc Psychiatr Rev. 2004 Feb.

Abstract
in English, French

Introduction: This paper provides a review of the role of the media in the development, maintenance, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders.

Method: The literature on gambling in youth on the internet was reviewed. It explores: (1) the role of the media in providing a social context for the development of eating disorders, (2) the role of the media in the etiology of eating disorder pathology, (3) the ways in which the media is used by patients suffering from eating disorders, and (4) the role that awareness of the media can have in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders.

Results: This review demonstrates that the media does contribute to the development of eating disorders.

Conclusion: This review highlights the need for media literacy and media activism to help change the current normative body discontent of women in the Western world.

Dans cet article, nous passons en revue le rôle des médias dans le développement, l’évolution, la prévention et le traitement des troubles de l’alimentation. La literature sur la jeunesse et le jeu a été rééxaminée. Nous explorons: 1) Le rôle des médias dans le développement d’un contexte social susceptible de favoriser l’apparition des troubles de l’alimentation; 2) Le rôle des médias dans l’étiologie des troubles de l’alimentation; 3) Comment les patients utilisent les médias; et 4) Comment la connaissance du rôle des médias peut aider dans le traitement et la prévention des troubles de l’alimentation. Cette revue de la littérature a) Fait état d’un fort lien de cause à effet entre les médias et le développement des troubles de l’alimentation, et b) Souligne le besoin de connaître les médias et d’intervenir auprès d’eux de sorte à modifier le courant actuel de mécontentement des femmes nord-américaines, voire du monde, vis-à-vis les normes de beauté du corps mises de l’avant dans les médias.

Keywords: adolescents; body image; eating disorder; media; nervosa.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Anderson AE, DiDomenico L. Diet versus shape content of popular male and female magazines: A dose-response relationship to the incidence of eating disorders? International Journal of Eating Disorders. 1992;11:283–287.
    1. Arnett JJ. Adolescent’s use of media for self-socialization. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 1995;24(5):511–518.
    1. Becker AE, Burwell RA, Herzog DB, Hamburg P, Gilman S. Eating behaviours and attitudes following prolonged exposure to television among ethnic Fijian adolescent girls. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2002;180(6):509–514. - PubMed
    1. Champion H, Furnham A. The effect of the media on the body satisfaction in adolescent girls. European Eating Disorders Review. 1999;7:213–228.
    1. Durkin S, Paxton S. Predictors of vulnerability to reduced body image satisfaction and psychological wellbeing in response to exposure to idealized female media images in adolescent girls. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2002;53:995–1005. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources