Based on converging evidence that visual and olfactory images are key components of food cravings, the authors tested a central prediction of the elaborated intrusion theory of desire, that mutual competition between modality-specific tasks and desire-related imagery can suppress such cravings. In each of Experiments 1 and 2, 90 undergraduate…

The aim of the present longitudinal community study was to test whether psychological distress at 13 years of age predicted reported substance use problems in boys and abnormal eating behavior in girls 2 years later. The sample consisted of 500 male and 576 female students. The use of substances was evaluated using a semi-structured interview,…

Objective: There is a paucity of evidence-based interventions for anorexia nervosa (AN). An innovative family-based treatment (FBT), developed at the Maudsley Hospital and recently put in manual form, has shown great promise for adolescents with AN. Unlike traditional treatment approaches, which promote sustained autonomy around food, FBT…

This study assesses the effectiveness of media literacy in the college classroom by comparing two modalities of learning, watching a video versus reading a text. The research questions guiding this project are: as teachers can we facilitate critical awareness among our students in order to alter the way women appropriate media images to evaluate…

Increasingly, researchers in the areas of eating disorders and obesity prevention are recognizing the benefits of collaborative efforts aimed at curbing the spectrum of eating-related disturbances. Research suggests that eating disorders and overweight tend to co-occur, and that individuals cross over from one eating-related disturbance to…

In this pilot study, a number of different methods of identifying young people with eating disorders in schools were compared. Pupils aged 16-18 years from 3 schools in the South West of the UK participated (389 boys and 374 girls in total). A self-report questionnaire (EDE-Q) was found to be the most effective method of case identification.…

Background: Research into the excessive eating behaviour associated with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) to date has focused on homeostatic and behavioural investigations. The aim of this study was to examine the role of the reward system in such eating behaviour, in terms of both the pattern of food preferences and the neural substrates of incentive…

Studies of self-induced vomiting of retarded persons have found that the rate of eating and the amount eaten alter this problem. The present study attempted to determine whether this same relationship was exhibited by the nonretarded bulimic. A nonretarded bulimic woman provided her subjective ratings of her desire to vomit after eating her taboo…

The authors investigated the effectiveness of 2 interventions in reducing eating disorder risk factors under naturalistic conditions in sororities. On the basis of previous research, the campus sororities chose to implement a semimandatory, 2-session eating disorder prevention program to all new sorority members (N = 90) during sorority…

Background: Adults with learning disabilities referred for assessment of their eating and drinking are frequently reported to cough and choke when eating and drinking. The research literature investigating dysphagia has often overlooked asphyxiation risk, highlighting coughing and choking as indicators of aspiration only. This is a notable…

Internalization of the thin body ideal is considered by many to account for the relationship between media exposure and disordered eating among girls and young women, but almost all supporting research has employed adolescent and adult samples. Using longitudinal panel survey data collected from 257 preadolescent girls at 2 points in time 1 year…

This book is designed to help the parents of overweight children control their child's weight naturally and prevent future weight problems. It uses case stories and examples to illustrate common conditions and situations, along with recommended interventions. Chapters focus on: (1) "Overfatness," including the reasons for excessive…

These two papers offer parents of infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities and feeding problems both general advice and specific intervention strategies. The first paper examines the causes of feeding difficulty (such as a physical structure problem, fear of eating, or difficulty learning to eat); the need for intervention while…

This paper is a review of literature regarding internalization of Western culture's thin-ideal. The media's portrayal of a thin-ideal associates success and beauty with being thin. Research has shown that exposure to the culture's thin-ideal does not necessarily lead to eating pathology, but those who internalize the standard are more likely to…

Young women (n=102) with bulimia nervosa were compared with 204 control subjects without an eating disorder and with 102 subjects with other psychiatric disorders. Results suggest that sexual and physical abuse are both risk factors for psychiatric disorders in general, including bulimia nervosa, but are not specific risk factors for bulimia. (DB)