Eating behaviors and attitudes following prolonged exposure to television among ethnic Fijian adolescent girls ~ Summary and comments
This study analyzed two groups of Fijian girls in their late teens. The purpose of this study was to see whether there was a relation between watching television and developing a negative body image or developing habits that are often linked with eating disorders. This study was conducted (primarily) by using a measuring scale/questionnaire called EAT-26. This tool (among other measures) evaluated the level of dysfunction one might have with relation to their weight and body image - a score above 20 being considered an indicator of significant dysfunction. Generally speaking, the groups were different - one having already been exposed to television for about three years while the other was rather new to this type of media. This is what made for a good comparison to see what kind of psychological impact TV exposure had on those exposed with regards to eating-disorder related patterns.
On the quantitative side, there was a significantly higher presence of individuals with EAT-26 scores that were above 20 among those who have been exposed to television - 29.2% - when compared with their counterparts 12.7%. Another measure that stands out is the presence of self-induced vomiting/purging that was found in the exposed group - 11.3% compared with the non-exposed group which did not show any such behavior. Based on the qualitative information gathered through Interviews, there was significant evidence that television personalities had a significant impact on the individual’s aspirations and desires for achieving a similar type of appearance. This kind of research plays a vital part in understanding the causes of various eating disorders. Understanding what causes someone to become overly concerned with being fat can help prevent high levels of exposure to such causes. Additionally, this can assist in finding ways to help the patient backtrack and rethink how and why they have these overwhelming concerns and what other thoughts they might use to replace these negative fears and emotions.
Strengths of this research include the combined use of qualitative and quantitative research tools, and identifying and comparing distinctly different groups as a means to contrast between the two and deduce causal factors. Weaknesses include having a relatively small sample size, lack of control for other causal factors such as other types of media exposure and influences, and (as mentioned at the end of the study) the fact that they were not measuring for clinically significant disorders but rather specific markers reflected in eating disorders.
Original article:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/eating-behaviours-and-attitudes-following-prolonged-exposure-to-television-among-ethnic-fijian-adolescent-girls/44470008998A2B5155CE9C9691243D76#BIBL