ABSTRACT

Those committed to preventing negative body image and disordered eating face a basic challenge that is all too familiar to researchers involved in school-based substance abuse prevention (Hansen, 1992): How can one reconcile (a) the theory and sometimes successful practice of prevention; (b) the very modest effectiveness or ineffectiveness of most prevention efforts; (c) the pragmatic concerns of teachers, administrators, parents, and funding sources; and (d) the multicultural nature of modern societies? To address these questions, this chapter is divided into three parts. Theory and research concerning prevention of substance abuse are 25 years ahead of parallel work in the eating disorders field, so the first part considers important lessons from substance abuse prevention that could potentially improve prevention of eating problems. The second part uses those lessons and the prevention outcome literature reviewed in chapter 9 to examine some general issues in the content of prevention programs. The final part offers specific suggestions for program content as a function of age and developmental level of the target audience. Specific suggestions for a multidimensional ecological approach that links school-based prevention to community-based prevention are offered in the concluding chapter of this book.