Overcoming the unhealthy pursuit of thinness: reaction to the Québec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the population reach, acceptability, and perceived potential of an initiative that developed a promotional tool for a healthy body image, the Québec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image. The Charter, developed through consensus building by a multisectoral, government-led task force, outlined actions to be undertaken by organizations or citizens to reduce media pressures favoring thinness.


METHODS
Six months after the Charter's launch, we surveyed 1003 Québec residents aged 18 years or older about their knowledge of the Charter, their willingness to adhere to it, and their perceptions of its potential.


RESULTS
After minimal prompting, more than 35% of respondents recognized the Charter. About 33.7% were very favorable toward personally adhering to the Charter and 32.7% perceived the Charter as having high potential to sensitize people to negative consequences of disordered eating. Women showed greater likelihood and people with lesser education showed lower likelihood of spontaneous recognition.


CONCLUSIONS
An initiative involving the creation of a body image Charter reaches a substantial portion of adults and is viewed as acceptable and potentially influential.
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, and the Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada. lise.gauvin.2@umontreal.ca
Lise
L
Gauvin
Howard
H
Steiger
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D004522:Educational Status; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011792:Quebec; D012737:Sex Factors; D013851:Thinness / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult