Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a peer-led single-session intervention targeting the sociocultural pressures of body image. Participants: New members of 13 sororities at one university. Methods: Participants were randomized by sorority into the intervention (n = 207) or wait list control (n = 264). Online surveys were administered at…

Cooking attitudes and behaviors among college students--and related implications to dietary quality--are largely unexplored. This study assessed the relationship between college students' fruit and vegetable intakes and cooking attitudes, confidence, and frequency (N = 448) using a cross-sectional survey. Hierarchical linear regression models…

Self-care skills, especially food preparation skills, are essential for independence as young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition to adulthood. This practice brief reviews the impact of a six-week course designed to teach cooking skills to college students with ASD. The goal was to increase confidence in cooking and frequency of…

This study investigated weighing and body-monitoring behaviors, as well as psychological and behavioral reactions to weighing, among female college students. Weighing and body monitoring were engaged in by the majority of participants. Participants changed food intake and exercise based on weight. About 63% reported that the scale number impacts…

Two studies were conducted to pilot the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) in measuring attitudes toward the self: one related to body image specifically and another assessing the broader construct of self-esteem. Study 1 utilized the IRAP with female college students to examine self-referential beliefs regarding body image. Results…

Objective: This study investigates the relative contributions of global self-esteem, body mass index (BMI), dieting behaviors, and perceived parental control and care on body satisfaction among a nonclinical sample of college students. Participants and Methods: Participants (49 males and 299 females) reported weight and height (to calculate BMI)…

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…

In this book, group work and college counseling leaders offer step-by-step instruction in the effective use and processing of structured group activities on topics such as test anxiety; stress and anxiety management; ADHD; career development; substance abuse; eating disorders; and the unique concerns faced by GLBT students, first-generation…

A study of college women suffering from bulimarexia, a cyclical eating disorder characterized by bingeing/purging behaviors and abnormally low self-esteem, indicates the importance of sociocultural factors in female role definition. (JMF)

Little previous research has compared bulimics to dieters who do not binge eat but who are also concerned with their weight. This study examined differences between college students who were classified as either bulimic (N=21), chronic dieters (N=29), or controls (N=83). The extent to which remarks made by significant others and failure…

The current society emphasizes physical appearance and physical fitness. Individual's self-esteem has been shown to be linked with physical appearance. Methods: A random sample comprising of 100 male and 100 female (N = 200) adolescents was selected. The subjects were administered the Current Thoughts Scale and the Dieting Beliefs Scale for…

Examined symptoms of muscle dysmorphia (MD), a variation of the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia, among college students. Surveys indicated that MD symptomatology appears in the general population and among both sexes. MD significantly related to eating disorder pathology and depression, and to some degree to impaired social support.…

A controversial issue in the literature on eating disorders is whether or not bulimia is a disorder distinct from anorexia nervosa. To compare the personality and behavioral characteristics of bulimic women with and without prior anorexia nervosa, 14 female college students (mean age 19.6 years, 86 percent white) were divided into two groups…

The hypothesis that negative emotional life states accompanying life stresses are associated with overeating and weight gain cannot be adequately tested solely by laboratory analogue studies. Naturalistic, short-term longitudinal designs are needed in which individuals susceptible to mood eating can be identified prior to a stressful event and…

Bulimia, an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging and intense feelings of guilt and failure, is increasing among young women. The eating behavior is only a symptom of more complex underlying problems such as feelings of inadequacy, social isolation, depression, rigid thinking, self-defeating thoughts, and perfectionism.…