Sabin, M. Mass media’s influence on anorexia nervosa. Project done at Salem High School, 1983-84.

OVERVIEW

Anorexia nervosa, once a rare eating disorder, is now rising. This project attempted to determine why anorexia nervosa statistics have climbed so drastically in the last 20 years. This project was based on the hypothesis that the increase in anorexia nervosa is due to mass media influence on society.

DESIGN

Through the use of a questionnaire dealing with people’s attitudes about ideal weight, the answers of those who grew up in preceding generations were compared to the answers of those growing up today. Also, the answers of males were compared to the answers of females. Making these comparisons, the researcher determined whether the young females who are being bombarded via advertising with the mass media "thinness craze" have different attitudes about ideal weight than do males and older people.

RESULTS

The results clearly indicate that those who have been pressured by mass media to be thin are more insecure about their weight than those who have not been pressured to be thin. The results further show that those who grew up in preceding generations were not as obsessed with thinness as those growing up in the current society. Far more females than males who responded to the questionnaire had a literal fear of becoming overweight. The very same groups that seem to have been influenced most by mass media—females and youth—are the groups that are increasingly afflicted with anorexia nervosa. Mass media does appear to be partly responsible for anorexia nervosa’s increase.

CRITIQUE

The statistical validity of the project results cannot be evaluated; this is not a scientific study. There seems to be some "begging the question" in seeing young females as most influenced by the media. Nevertheless, this project supports the need for further study on the subject. It reflects national studies on women’s physical self-image. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that it grows out of a high school student’s reflections on those societal elements that negatively influence her own peer group.

IMPLICATIONS

• Parents must be aware of the effects of advertising. This bright high school student has studied what some have conjectured—that the current media blitz is affecting some young females adversely with respect to their physical self-image. It is one more reason for parents to analyze media messages with their children at an early age.
• This project shows that high school and college students can conduct significant behavioral research on issues affecting their lives. Such abstracts can be shared to stimulate research and can also be used as models for further study. Discussing such a study in class will have a greater impact on students than simply presenting theoretical topics.
• Youth work deals with the causes and effects of many socially transmitted emotional diseases. Youth leaders must offer kids a trusting relationship, encourage them to belong to a supportive group of faith, and provide them instruction that lays the basis of a positive self-image and answers questions concerning the manipulations of the media.