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01-07-2020 | Eating Disorder | Original Paper

Media Images of Anorexia: Effects of Moderate vs. Extreme Anorexia-Related Messages on Young Women

Authors: Dana Weimann-Saks, Hadar Eliash

Published in: Community Mental Health Journal | Issue 5/2020

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine which type of anorexia-related messages have been presented on television and how they have affected young women in Israel. An empirical study was performed in two parts: (1) Anorexia-related stories that had aired on the news editions of commercial TV channels in Israel were categorized by code page. (2) A random sample was conducted among 291 women, aged 13–35. Every interviewee was requested to complete one online questionnaire that differed in its attached video message: an extreme or a moderate anorexia-related message. 71.4% of the tv-stories featured a young anorexic woman suffering from extreme underweight. Moreover, the extreme message resulted in higher reaction than the moderate message and less agreement with the message (rejecting anorexia and preferring that it be eradicated). Theoretical and practical implications of the findings will be discussed.

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Title: Media Images of Anorexia: Effects of Moderate vs. Extreme Anorexia-Related Messages on Young Women
Authors: Dana Weimann-Saks
Hadar Eliash
Publication date: 01-07-2020
Publisher: Springer US
Keywords: Eating Disorder
Eating Disorder
Published in: Community Mental Health Journal / Issue 5/2020
Print ISSN: 0010-3853
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2789
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00543-0

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