Classroom approach for managing dietary restraint, negative eating styles, and body image concerns among college women.

OBJECTIVE: In this exploratory study, the authors evaluated the impact of an elective college course on dieting levels, eating styles, and body image among college women. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were a convenience sample of 29 self-selected female students at a western university who were mostly white, normal-weight seniors with significant dieting experience. METHODS: The authors used valid and reliable instruments to collect data both before and after testing. An instructor conducted the program in an undergraduate course that met twice weekly for 15 weeks. Theory-based lessons focused on resisting media pressure, modifying dietary restraint, eating in response to hunger (intrinsic eating), and achieving healthy body image. Dependent variables included intrinsic eating, dieting involvement, emotional eating, body image, and self-esteem. RESULTS: A comparison of pretest and posttest scores identified significant improvements for most measures. CONCLUSIONS: A theory-driven elective course implemented within a college setting may improve women's eating styles and body image.

The forgotten dimensions in health education research.

This paper evaluates the content focus of health education research as presented in the professional literature over a 6-year period (2000-2005). The majority of research (1365 papers) addresses the physical dimension of health (79%), while other health dimensions receive less attention. It is argued that the current content focus of research in health education fails to harmonize with the multidimensional, dynamic and functional nature of health as generally defined. The goal of health education, positive behavior change, also seems less reachable without a better understanding of how nonphysical dimensions of health influence wellness behaviors. At present, there exists an opportunity for health educators to move toward research agendas that more fully appreciate the interconnectedness of various dimensions of health and that evaluate them evenhandedly. Practical application of this approach will require a partial break from the biological orientations of other health professions, new research agendas that clarify multidimensional health relationships and new programs that seek to influence outcomes in a variety of dimensions.