title: Effectiveness of a peer-delivered dissonance-based program in reducing eating disorder risk factors in high school girls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This pilot study investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a peer-led dissonance-based eating disorders (ED) prevention/risk factor reduction program with high school girls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninth grade girls (n = 50) received the peer-led program within the school curriculum. A quasi-experimental design was used to assess changes in ED risk factors preintervention and postintervention compared with waitlist control. Participants were followed through 3-month follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Peer-leader adherence to an intervention manual tailored for this age group was high. The intervention was rated as highly acceptable, with a large proportion of participants reporting that they enjoyed the program and learned and applied new information. Intervention participants exhibited significantly greater pre-post reductions in a majority of risk-factor outcomes compared to waitlist controls. When groups were combined to assess program effects over time there were significant pre-post reductions in a majority of outcomes that were sustained through 3-month follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study provides tentative support for the effectiveness of using peer leaders to implement an empirically supported ED risk factor reduction program in a high school setting. Additional research is needed to replicate results in larger, better-controlled trials with longer follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington.|Department of Psychology, The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii.
authors.forename: Anna C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ciao
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii.
authors.forename: Janet D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Latner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii.
authors.forename: Krista E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: The University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Daria S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ebneter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas.
authors.forename: Carolyn B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003073:Cognitive Dissonance; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012572:School Health Services
keywords: cognitive dissonance; eating disorders; high school; peer-leaders; risk factor reduction