Impact of exposure to pro-eating disorder websites on body dissatisfaction and eating behavior in college women

For several years, websites promoting and supporting eating disorders have flourished on the Internet. These pro-eating disorder (pro-ED) websites offer tips and tricks on unhealthy eating behaviors, "thinspiration," and interactive components, such as chatrooms and message boards. At this time, minimal research has been conducted on the impact of pro-ED websites. The primary purpose of this study was to assess whether exposure to pro-ED websites influences college women's body dissatisfaction and eating behaviors. Female participants without eating disorders and with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 18 kg/m2 were recruited from the subject pool at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). College women with an eating disorder were excluded from this study. Participants were exposed to either pro-ED websites, healthy/exercise websites, or tourist websites and were given quantitative and qualitative measures designed to assess body dissatisfaction and changes in eating behavior. Results indicated that only the pro-ED website group showed a significant decrease in caloric intake from pre- to post-exposure. Furthermore, following exposure, these participants self-reported that they experienced increased levels of body dissatisfaction, they used techniques presented on the pro-ED websites to help with food intake reduction, and they believed that pro-ED websites would influence people to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors. Finally, a 3 week follow-up exhibited that there were long term effects, such as continued use of tips and tricks found on the pro-ED websites, to restrict eating behavior.