Bodies of Evidence

(Lauren Greenfield)

Through fliers posted at colleges in San Francisco and San Diego, the team recruited 480 women whose average age was nearly 21 and whose average body mass index (BMI) was 23.7 -- in the normal range, equivalent to a 5-foot-4 woman who weighs 138 pounds.

Half were randomly assigned to "Student Bodies," which included weekly online sessions about healthy eating, journal keeping and an interactive discussion monitored by a psychologist, as well as information about body image. The other half were assigned to a control group and permitted to go through the program once the evaluation was complete.

A two-year follow-up revealed no overall difference in the development of eating disorders between the control group and Student Bodies participants, Taylor said. But it did find significant differences in two high-risk subgroups: students who were overweight and those who were already engaged in behaviors that can presage a full-blown disorder, such as excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting and use of diet pills or laxatives.

Among "Student Bodies" participants with a BMI over 25, which is considered overweight, none had developed an eating disorder at the two-year follow-up, while 12 percent in the control group had.

And among the women from San Francisco (but not San Diego) who reported problem behaviors such as self-induced vomiting at the start of the study, 14 percent had developed an eating disorder at the two-year mark, compared with 30 percent of the control group.

"We're the first study to show it's possible to prevent eating disorders among a high-risk group," Taylor said.

"Student Bodies" is not currently available as a prevention program, but Taylor said that its originators are considering offering it to other schools that have expressed interest.

"What's really novel about this program is that it's computer-administered and easy to disseminate," Stice said. "That's what makes it tantalizing." ·

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