A New Approach to Disordered Eating—Using an Electronic Bulletin Board to Confront Social Pressure on Body Image

Abstract

In response to the relative lack of success in reaching students with eating disorders, a campus-wide Eating Concerns Committee undertook to understand the needs of these students and to advise them on appropriate services. Because social pressure to be thin is one important precursor to eating disorders and because sharing concerns is so difficult and so important, the committee used the college's computer bulletin board system to create a forum for students to discuss political, social, and personal issues about body image, food, and eating. After a cautious start, the dialogue developed intensity and became a lively tool for asking and receiving support and for sharing feelings, ideas, and concerns.