The long-term impact of an eating disorder prevention program for professional ballet school students: A 15-year follow-up study

Abstract

Eating disorder prevention programs have been assessed up to 3 years post-implementation; however, their impact on long-term resilience is unclear. The current study assessed disordered eating and body dissatisfaction in 116 dancers from a professional ballet school 15 or more years following their participation in an effective selective prevention program. Dancers who attended the ballet school during and following the program endorsed fewer thoughts and behaviours associated with bulimia, had lower lifetime prevalence of laxative use, and showed a trend toward lower lifetime rates of vomiting to control weight than those who attended the ballet school prior to the intervention.