Communication Strategy for the Prevention of Eating Disorders

Here is my proposed strategy for the prevention of Eating Disorders for adolescent girls.

Strategic Communication Objectives

The overall goal of this intervention is to prevent eating disorders in adolescent girls. The mission is to inform teenage girls about proper nutrition and exercise, promote positive self-esteem and raise awareness about the dangers of eating disorders. The positive self-esteem approach focuses on the way people feel about themselves and if adolescent girls have positive self-esteem and attitudes about themselves and their bodies it will combat the potential for other serious health conditions as well (Mark R. Leary, Schreindorfer, Haupt, 1996). The objective of this health campaign is to encourage teenage girls to build healthy habits and to support positive body image. An online program will provide teenage girls the opportunity to discuss their disposition with others they trust like healthcare professionals and receive feedback from these individuals that can stimulate a process of self-reflection that will then motivate behavior change.

The issue is that girls are preoccupied with their weight, diet and body issues at increasingly younger ages. Adolescent females who subjectively distort their body image, or those for whom there is a mismatch between their image and the environment, are at risk for several serious psychiatric disorders (Gurian, Koplewicz, 2002). Purging is most common in females between their middle and high school years and “Previous research has indicated that high BMI, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem are risk factors for body image concern and disturbed eating within individuals (Paxton, Schutz, Wertheim, Muir, 1999).”

Communication Objectives

• Provide students with information about the medical consequences of dieting, binging and purging. Many are not aware of the serious physical consequences of using diuretics or laxatives, or other myriad dangers of an extremely limited diet

• To encourage teenage girls to think about the different cultural messages and the ways that women are portrayed in the media. This approach encourages teenage girls to question the media and cultural messages by asking them to present information on eating disorders prevention to others. The conflict between what they say to others and what they do themselves creates dissonance that leads to change so that their behaviors are more consistent. (NEDA, 2014)

• Informing teenage girls about the importance of proper nutrition, an active lifestyle and self-acceptance to promote a healthy lifestyle and a healthy mindset.

Message Design

The core message is that unhealthy diets and improper exercising habits can have adverse effects on your body but there are some simple things that you can do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The message will be delivered using a positive emotional appeal because research has found that gain framed messages have improved information acceptance and attitudes in students (Riet, Ruiter, Werrij, Candel, Vries, 2010). The narrative will focus on the importance and benefits of healthy eating and exercising habits. Communication messages that are intended to build initial awareness should be simple and use credible sources while also being dramatic enough to gain attention. For example, “A memorable story about a young woman who contracted AIDS in her first sexual relationship is more likely to be remembered than statistics about increases in HIV incidence among heterosexual teens (Slater, 1999)” but in this case it would be best to present a story through the viewpoint of a young woman who struggled with an eating disorder but overcame it.

Source/ Messenger

The source of information would be most influential through a female celebrity that teenage girls admire such as Demi Lovato. Lovato was a former Disney star who battled with depression as a young child and checked into rehab for an eating disorder in 2010, and she now openly discusses her opinions and addresses some of the misconceptions about eating disorders and mental health related issues on interviews and through social media sites like Twitter. Lovato has become a vocal role model for women and girls dealing with cultural pressures to be thin (Karlin, 2014). Lovato can share her personal story through the campaign and encourage or inspire young girls to develop healthy lifestyle habits. “Research has demonstrated that celebrity disclosure of their own illnesses can increase public interest in the specific disease and can change the public's behavior (Cram, 2003).”

Dissemination Channels

The television will be used as the communication channel to share the public communication campaign’s message with teenage girls and will be facilitated through physical education programs in schools throughout the country. The dissemination vehicle that will be used to share the message and information would be through an interactive website that students would be able to use online. Six million teens (31%) use the Internet to get health information, a 47% increase since 2000 and teenage girls are the most fervent users of social networks (CDC, 2014). The Internet-based education program will be designed to build healthy habits and to support positive body image. They would also learn about proper nutrition while taking part in exercising through their physical education program in school. The interactive program would also include quizzes, matching games and true or false questions and a section where teenage girls can check their fitness progress if they decide to and accomplish their own goals which will increase self-efficacy. There can also be a confidentiality agreement to anonymously provide a universal and targeted intervention through the online program that can also help diminish stigma, shame, and teasing, which are common psychosocial problems among adolescents who are overweight. (Jones, Taylor Lynch, E Kass, Burrows, Williams, Wilfley, Barr Taylor, 2014). The online space will be focused on the dynamic of creating a space where teenage girls will feel comfortable and capable of expressing their feelings and sharing their thoughts and opinions with others in a judgment free zone. Teenage girls can participate in monitored discussion boards that will act as a support group to increase learning with others and explore how the campaign has had an effect on other girls. “Research has shown that high levels of learning orientation tend to buffer individuals from the negative effects of failure, thereby helping to increase or maintain self-efficacy (Bell, Kozlowski, 2002).

Conclusion

These programs would be beneficial to students who are inactive or do not have access to proper healthcare and it has the ability to change the behaviors of teenage girls on a national scale. It would be easier to implement the online program into the physical education curriculum than starting an entirely new program. A primary prevention program that targets a variety of problems related to eating and weight makes good sense economically and pragmatically (Irving, Neumark-Sztainer, 2002). A potential barrier for this strategy would be the lack of funds to run the online program or salary for healthcare experts to join in the program and give advice. Another potential barrier could be the inability to access underprivileged schools that don’t have access to computers to learn about healthy lifestyles.

An alternative approach to this communication strategy would be a public service announcement and advertisement campaign shared through television and social media informing teenage girls about the dangers of eating disorders that would also expose the unrealistic ideals of beauty.

Resources

Audience Insights Communicating to Teens (Aged 12–17). (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/pdf/audience/audienceinsight_teens.pdf

Bell, B., & Kozlowski, W. (2002). Goal orientation and ability: Interactive effects on self-efficacy, performance, and knowledge. Journal of Applied Psychology, 497-505.

Eating Disorder Prevention | National Eating Disorders Association. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/eating-disorder-prevention

Cram, P. (2003). The Impact Of A Celebrity Promotional Campaign On The Use Of Colon Cancer Screening: The Katie Couric Effect. Archives of Internal Medicine, 163(13), 1601-1605.

Gurian, A., & S. Koplewicz, H. (2002). ADOLESCENTS AND BODY IMAGE: What’s Typical and What’s Not. Child Study Center, 6(4). Retrieved from http://www.aboutourkids.org/files/articles/mar_apr_2.pdf

Irving, L., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2002). Integrating the prevention of eating disorders and obesity: Feasible or futile? Preventive Medicine, 34, 299-309.

Jones, M., Taylor Lynch, K., E Kass, A., Burrows, A., Williams, J., Wilfley, D., & Barr Taylor, C. (2014). Healthy Weight Regulation and Eating Disorder Prevention in High School Students: A Universal and Targeted Web-Based Intervention. Journal of Medical and Internet Research, 16(2). Retrieved from http://www.jmir.org/2014/2/e57/

Karlin, L. (2014, November 13). Demi Lovato Slams The Idea That Eating Disorders Are A Choice. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/13/demi-lovato-eating-disorders_n_6154076.html

Leary, M., Schreindorfer, L., & Haupt, A. (1995). The Role of Low Self-Esteem in Emotional and Behavioral Problems: Why is Low Self-Esteem Dysfunctional? Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 297-314.

Paxton, S., Schutz, H., Wertheim, E., & Muir, S. (1999). Friendship Clique And Peer Influences On Body Image Concerns, Dietary Restraint, Extreme Weight-loss Behaviors, And Binge Eating In Adolescent Girls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 255-266.

Riet, J., Ruiter, R., Werrij, M., Candel, M., & Vries, H. (2010). Distinct pathways to persuasion: The role of affect in message-framing effects. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1261-1276.

Slater, M. (1999). Integrating Application Of Media Effects, Persuasion, And Behavior Change Theories To Communication Campaigns: A Stages-of-Change Framework. Health Communication, 11(4), 335-354.

The Pressure to Be Perfect. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.seventeen.com/health/tips/demi-lovato-pressure-to-be-perfect#slide-1

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