Teachers: on "being" (rather than "doing") prevention.
In the growing literature on the prevention of eating disorders, especially the research literature, the role of teachers in prevention is often missing. However, surveys with teachers reveal that there is an interest in eating disorder prevention by school staff and that teachers are seeking training that allows for more constructive interactions between teachers and students in areas related to body image. In addition, these surveys shown that teachers are interested in integrating preventative material into the curriculum. This article suggests that enlisting teachers towards the goal of primary prevention of eating disorders involves three key components: informing and raising consciousness about central issues related to the experience of the body, focus groups and experiential exercises that invite teachers to examine and constructively utilize the impact of their own past body-anchored experiences on current behavior as teachers, and collaborative brain storming about possible teachers'initiatives in integrating this new knowledge into their own classroom and into their schools. This article suggests that this work will allow teachers to provide students with constructive daily experiences in their classes in the area of body image.
Piran
Niva
N
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. npiran@oise.utoronto.ca