School-based overweight prevention program may cut risk of eating disorders a...(eated in a larger study among a differen...),Health

The randomized, controlled study took place in 13 middle schools in Massachusetts between 2002 and 2004 and involved 1,451 sixth- and seventh-graders (749 girls, 702 boys). Six schools utilized the 5-2-1-Go! curriculum and seven utilized just their regular health education. The results showed a two-thirds reduction in risk of adopting disordered weight control behaviors among girls in the 5-2-1-Go! program.

The results suggest that it may be possible for school-based programs to help prevent obesity and eating disorder symptoms in adolescent girls. Unhealthy weight loss behaviors and overweight are taking an enormous toll on the health of young people today, said senior author Karen E. Peterson, director of the Program in Public Health Nutrition at HSPH and an associate professor at the School. These problems may be linked in a number of ways, and the solutions are likely to be too. Approaches that foster healthy weights by changing lifestyles of youth in schools seem to be very promising.

The authors note that further studies are needed to tackle the question of how other obesity prevention programs are affecting eating disorder symptoms in young people. We found that our obesity prevention program was safe, that is, it did not worsen eating disorder symptoms and even protected against the development of eating disorder symptoms among girls, said Austin. The team of scientists and educators that created the program was also very careful not to single out or stigmatize overweight kids. Those involved with other obesity prevention programs in schools and communities around the country should look at the effects of those programs on eating disorder symptoms and weight-related bullying to make sure theyre safe for the children.