OBJECTIVE: The first National Eating Disorders Screening Program (NEDSP), conducted on more than 400 college campuses in 1996, was an educational and two-stage screening program designed to detect potentially clinically significant disordered eating attitudes and behaviors and offer referrals for further evaluation when warranted. The current study assessed the impact of the NEDSP on participants. METHOD: A randomly selected subset of this sample (n = 289) was contacted approximately 2 years after the NEDSP to assess the impact of the program on knowledge and treatment-seeking behaviors for eating disorders. RESULTS: For greater than 80% of the participants, the program made participants aware of the danger of eating disorders and the availability of treatment. Of those who received a recommendation for further clinical evaluation of disordered eating (n = 109), nearly one half (47.7%) followed up on this recommendation and kept at least a first appointment and 39.4% actually sought treatment subsequent to the NEDSP. DISCUSSION: The results of the current study suggest that educational and screening programs may be a promising strategy for secondary prevention of eating disorders. They also suggest that awareness of the risks of disordered eating and available treatment may not be sufficient to motivate individuals to adhere to recommendations to seek treatment. Clinicians should, therefore, be vigilant for nonadherence to treatment recommendations and proactive in facilitating treatment.
OBJECTIVE: The first National Eating Disorders Screening Program (NEDSP), conducted on more than 400 college campuses in 1996, was an educational and two-stage screening program designed to detect potentially clinically significant disordered eating attitudes and behaviors and offer referrals for further evaluation when warranted. The current study assessed the impact of the NEDSP on participants. METHOD: A randomly selected subset of this sample (n = 289) was contacted approximately 2 years after the NEDSP to assess the impact of the program on knowledge and treatment-seeking behaviors for eating disorders. RESULTS: For greater than 80% of the participants, the program made participants aware of the danger of eating disorders and the availability of treatment. Of those who received a recommendation for further clinical evaluation of disordered eating (n = 109), nearly one half (47.7%) followed up on this recommendation and kept at least a first appointment and 39.4% actually sought treatment subsequent to the NEDSP. DISCUSSION: The results of the current study suggest that educational and screening programs may be a promising strategy for secondary prevention of eating disorders. They also suggest that awareness of the risks of disordered eating and available treatment may not be sufficient to motivate individuals to adhere to recommendations to seek treatment. Clinicians should, therefore, be vigilant for nonadherence to treatment recommendations and proactive in facilitating treatment.
Authors: Christine M Bonci; Leslie J Bonci; Lorita R Granger; Craig L Johnson; Robert M Malina; Leslie W Milne; Randa R Ryan; Erin M Vanderbunt Journal: J Athl Train Date: 2008 Jan-Mar Impact factor: 2.860
Authors: Sarah Ketchen Lipson; J Megan Jones; C Barr Taylor; Denise E Wilfley; Dawn M Eichen; Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Daniel Eisenberg Journal: Eat Behav Date: 2016-04-09
Authors: Jennifer Tabler; Rachel M Schmitz; Claudia Geist; Rebecca L Utz; Ken R Smith Journal: J Womens Health (Larchmt) Date: 2018-07-02 Impact factor: 2.681
Authors: Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Dawn M Eichen; Grace E Monterubio; Marie-Laure Firebaugh; Neha J Goel; C Barr Taylor; Denise E Wilfley Journal: Eat Disord Date: 2019-05-20 Impact factor: 3.222