Reflections on prevention in dieting-induced disorders.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this article is to reflect on current approaches to the prevention of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

METHOD

The literature on preventing those disorders was examined within the context of the published literatures concerned with preventive interventions for adolescent drug-taking and alcohol-related behaviors.

RESULTS

Our review revealed that those involved in preventing eating disorders maintain the traditional distinction between primary and secondary prevention, although the fruitfulness of that categorization is now uncertain.

DISCUSSION

It is argued that interventions for dieting-induced disorders ought to be generic, and target the gamut of transitional risk behaviors among adolescents. Programs for dieting, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and safe sex within the health and social development curricula in schools must be sustained by comprehensive efforts within the broader context of societal and systemic change.