Eating disordered behaviors and media exposure

Background This study examined this relationship between eating disordered behaviors and exposure to ideal-type media in a sample of South African university students, who could be expected to have reasonably high levels of media exposure. Possible underlying reasons for this complex relationship were also investigated. Method It examined the relationship via both quantitative (using a questionnaire that included the EAT-26 and a media composite variable) and qualitative methods (interviews) in the sample. Results In the quantitative part, sex and level of media exposure significantly predicted scores on the EAT-26. Women obtained scores that indicated they were more "at risk" for anorexia nervosa than men, especially women with higher levels of media exposure. In the qualitative part of the study grounded theory was used to explore how this relationship was formed. Results indicated that numerous factors, some related to the media, predispose women to disordered eating behaviors. The interviewees were then more likely to use ideal-type media heavily to sustain their disordered eating behaviors. Heavy use of the media led participants to attempt a number of strategies to change their appearance to resemble those in the media, with various degrees of success. Conclusion The model developed by the qualitative research indicated that the media are not necessarily always the cause of pathological eating, but that they interact with other factors in the development of symptoms of anorexia nervosa for these women.