Question 2
The results from this study suggest that the association between social media use and eating concerns is not confined to young women, men and older age groups can also be effected. As a community dietitian, how would you use this information in preparing a prevention message that address the association between social media use and eating concerns that apply to a broad population?
posted by Kandice Abramson @ 1:24 PM
12 comments
12 Comments:
In order to address this type of broad target audience, I would focus the campaign on non-body specific messages. I would want to avoid using photos of people in the prevention message, because there is no way to accurately portray the diversity of young adults that are to be targeted by the message. Showing inadequate diversity in photos has the potential to leave people with certain physical traits out of the message, and they may feel overlooked or that the message does not apply to them. Instead I would focus on the language used in social media posts that may contribute to disordered eating in both men and women, like skinny, flat-belly, food to never eat, buff, bulking, beach body, etc. I would try to frame these words in a way to promote caution when viewing posts that use this type of language. I would also include statistics about the association between social media use and eating concerns, not to attempt to reduce social media use but to raise awareness of the susceptibility of individuals that frequent social media platforms. This prevention message could be disseminated to the target audience via various social media outlets since they are the focus of the message to begin with.
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As Kirsten stated, understanding the language used on social media is very important. Teaching clients to look for good quality information is key, not whether or not it will slim down a certain body part. Additionally, I think teaching all groups how to find credible sources would be beneficial. It’s important the public receives reliable and correct information. It should be explained that many things seen on social media do not come from credible sources. Also, I believe when it comes to body image on social media mindfulness practice would benefit all groups, as well.
Kirsten, I like your idea of sharing the statistics from this article as a prevention method. Social media is not going anywhere, and many people do not like to be told what to do - so telling groups to avoid social media is not an option! As you said, you would not share this information to promote reducing social media use, but to help individuals understand how social media can affect them.
While this has already been done regarding social media awareness, I like the idea of expectation vs reality. Showing photos edited/cropped next to the actual picture can give a good visual that nobody is perfect. While this cannot necessarily give the full view of a picture and even unedited picture can trigger someone to have dissatisfaction with their own bodies, it may be beneficial on a larger population of individuals, showing different situations/ethnicities/and age groups. I think it would have to be done in a way not to make fun of those that edit and present their pictures without flaws, but to raise awareness of people’s lives being more than meets the eye on social media.
Kirsten, I agree with the use of statistics to show the correlation of social media and eating disorders. Having those as evidence can drive the message home. While people may agree that it may be a cause, having numbers and studies to prove this relationship exists can help change one’s mindset and help them be more cautious when using social media.
I think it's important to understand that eating concerns can affect everybody. Today, most attention is geared towards young women, but a broader range of the population can benefit from these messages. I firmly believe that it can be effective to change the focus from social media to the individual. As a community dietitian, challenging individuals to face how they feel about their body, why they feel this way, and how it is affecting them can be powerful. Once one faces themselves, a community RD can help them celebrate the body they have and teach them to appreciate the body they live in. Loving and respecting ones body involves feeding it with nutritious foods that help one feel good, and that is where our expertise might have the most impact.
Kirsten, while I agree that we have to address the language used around bodies in social media, I disagree that images should be avoided. I believe it's necessary to address the lack of diversity in images in our culture and push for ads and images portraying a multitude of body types. If someone sees pictures of people with different bodies being celebrated and appreciated, they may be more apt to realize it's okay not have the "perfect" figure that embodies the thin ideal.
I would approach the topic by stating that nutrition is only one facet of overall health. While we want to emphasize a healthy lifestyle and weight, it is important to emphasize that there is no "cookie cutter" ideal body type/shape. I would utilize the Mindful/Intuitive Eating approach to help my clients get "back in touch" with their bodies' hunger and satiety mechanisms. I would also include physical fitness in my recommendations. I would encourage them to find focus on fitness goals not related to weight loss (although that may occur by proxy) such as improved flexibility, increased endurance, climbing stairs without being winded, etc. Ideally, I want them to reach a balance where food is healthful and enjoyable while also finding a fitness routine that is fun and promotes socialization. Overall, this would create a stable lifestyle with a high rate of maintenance.
Justine, I agree with you that it may not be plausible to recommend someone limit their social media use. There are positive, popular sites/accounts that promote body positivity that may help them combat the "thin" ideal. While decreasing technology use (and therefore, social media) can be encouraged in order to replace that time with physical activity and face-to-face socialization, I feel that it would not be realistic to strictly tell someone to limit social media use. Instead, if a client chooses to maintain an active social media presence, I would provide them with positive websites and accounts to follow. That way, if they are going to expose themselves to social media, they can at least try to focus on positive, credible sources.
As a community dietitian, I feel you often need to justify the cost of your programs with its rewards. Sharing a study such as this with provides evidence-based data that eating concerns are not just an issue with young women, but the broader American population as a whole; you may be able to find additional funding to assist in making your community program reach more people! Additionally, I think it is important as a community dietitian to understand your target audience. This study was a good reminder that perhaps some programs be able to be altered for different audiences or should be applicable to a more general audience as apposed to a too rigid/specific target audience.
Noel, I love your point of program justification. This is a significant factor in promoting programs, despite RD best intentions. Programs require funding and man hours. Clinical RDs are still justifying the worth of their interventions to physicians and nutrition therapy has long been in practice.
The research of the article may be utilized by initiating supportive media content on high risk sights in all demographics. Also, I would focus education on skill development, to eliminate fear associated with food. By decreasing the demonization of food and its potential health and social consequences a dialogue may commence among various demographics.
Holly, I appreciate you discussing the "health at every size" approach with your clients because you are correct-- there is no cookie-cutter shape individuals should see as ideal. I believe incorporating fitness is also a clever way to boost self confidence as building "strength" can often boost self confidence.
It is important to always keep in mind that eating disorders can affect all demographics, all ages and both men and women. And that many individuals have a hard time accepting that they do have an eating disorder. Therefore, as a community dietitian I would prepare the prevention message to all audiences and keep it basic and encouraging. I would also share the results of this study and try to find other studies that also have significant results. Although this has been done recently I really do like the idea of showing the reality behind editing softwares and how they can change any image. I think this method is very powerful. Tessa made a great point when she said that teaching individuals how to find reliable sources is important. This would defiantly be something I would include in my message as well.
First and foremost, more studies need to be conducted that focus on those underrepresented populations. We, as dietitians, can use our professional skills and adapt current research/recommendations to address these associations to a broad population. Developing an androgynous message would be the first start to eliminating the stigma associated with eating disorders(ED’s). The messages we would prepare cannot further the stigmatization that is present with ED’s. It should also be a message that does not insinuate that Ed's effect people with one specific body type.
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