- Email: [email protected]
3. Weight Loss Advertisements on Teen Magazine Websites
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Platform Abstracts / 50 (2012) S1–S15
Conclusions: Weight loss and improved self-efficacy, peer support, and sports involvement from an exergaming intervention are new contributions to research on effective health interventions for adolescents. Important sex and condition differences emerged. Exergaming induced weight loss for those who played cooperatively, and both exergame treatment conditions increased in peer support and self-efficacy. Exergaming also promoted sports involvement and marginally reduced perceived obstacles to exercise in boys but not in girls. Benefits of weight loss directly from the exergame intervention, as well as transfer effects of improved psychosocial health and increased sports involvement, highlight beneficial outcomes of exergaming among disadvantaged, overweight and obese youth. Sources Of Support: This research was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Grant #66723). 2. DISORDERED EATING AND MUSCLE-ENHANCING BEHAVIORS AMONG FRIENDS: A SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS Marla E. Eisenberg, ScD1, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD1, Melanie M. Wall, PhD2, Jin Joo Shim, BA2, Meg Bruening, MPH1, Katie Loth, MPH1. 1
University of Minnesota 2Columbia University
Purpose: Disordered eating behaviors are common among young people, and research has demonstrated the important influence of friends. However, most existing studies rely on participants’ perceptions of their friends’ behavior and focus on female samples. The present study examines associations between participants’ disordered eating and muscle-enhancing behaviors and those same behaviors reported by nominated friends in a diverse population-based sample of male and female adolescents. Methods: Data come from 1859 participants in EAT 2010 (Eating and Activity in Teens), who attended one of 20 middle and high schools in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area (mean age⫽14.1). Each participant was asked to nominate up to 3 male and 3 female friends from a roster of students in the same school. Data from nominated friends’ surveys were linked by ID number to each adolescent, allowing for the creation of friends’ predictors unique to each participant. The key independent variable was having at least one same-sex friend reporting the behavior of interest; dependent variables included dieting, chronic dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviors, extreme weight control behaviors, binge eating, steroid use, and use of other muscle-enhancing substances. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to test associations between friends’ use and the participant’s use of the same behavior controlling for clustering of students within schools. Results: The analytic sample was diverse with regards to race/ ethnicity (20% white, 25% African American, 17% Hispanic, 20% Asian) and economic status (53% of low or low-middle SES). Disordered eating and muscle-enhancing behaviors were common; for example, approximately half of females and one-third of males reported using unhealthy weight control behaviors, and 5% of females and 10% of males reported using muscle enhancing substances. Females’ chronic dieting (OR⫽1.76), extreme weight control (OR⫽3.09), and steroid use (OR⫽3.21), and males’ binge eating (OR⫽1.88), steroid use (OR⫽5.12) and use of muscle enhancing substances (OR⫽3.84) were each significantly related to friends’ use of the same behaviors, after adjusting for age, race, SES and number of friends with data. Conclusions: Findings with data from nominated friends support previous research regarding friends’ influence based on perceived measures, and extends this body of work into muscle-enhancing behaviors,
which are more common among males. Interventions capitalizing on social influences are needed to prevent these concerning behaviors. Sources Of Support: Grant #R01HL084064 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PI) and Grant Number 1U01HD061940 from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (Melanie M Wall, PI). 3. WEIGHT LOSS ADVERTISEMENTS ON TEEN MAGAZINE WEBSITES Jenna Kruger, MPH. Yale School of Public Health Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate and quantify the frequency and content of weight loss advertisements that appear on three popular teen magazine websites (Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and Girls’ Life). Methods: This study crafted new research methodology to quantify and analyze website content. The study was comprised of 2 distinct components: (1) quantifying the types and frequency of advertisements on teen magazine websites; and (2) a content analysis of any advertisements related to food, weight loss, healthy living, or fitness that appeared during data collection. With the knowledge that adolescent girls may look to the Internet and teen magazines as trusted sources of information, the study was designed to mimic the way in which an adolescent girl may approach these websites in search of weight-related advice or information. Four search terms of varying severity were entered in the keyword search box on these websites (“how to lose weight,” “dieting tips,” “how to get fit,” and “healthy living”). The types of advertisements that appeared on the search results webpages were recorded and any advertisement related to food, exercise, healthy living, or weight loss was included in the content analysis. Data was collected on 10 nonconsecutive days at the same time. Log linear models with a Poisson assumption and a series of Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. Results: There were a total of 108 observations (each observation represents 1 search term entered on 1 website on a given date) and 13 variables coded for the first part of the analyses. The results of the log-linear models with a Poisson assumption suggested that the teen magazine titles were good predictors of the type of advertisement. Pearson residual tests indicated that the models were a good fit for the data; over 95% of the data fit each of these 4 models. For the second part of the analyses, a total of 559 advertisements and 22 coded variables were analyzed. The results from the analysis of advertisement content indicated that clear associations exist between weight loss industry advertisements and a number of variables, including phrases intended to make readers feel bad about themselves, claims that the product/service will make the user feel better about themselves, and phrases suggesting that the product/service will make the user more physically attractive (p-value ⬍ 0.05). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine weight-loss advertisements on female teen magazine websites. Results indicated that significantly more weight loss advertisements appeared on www.seventeen.com than www.girlslife.com or www. teenvogue.com regardless of search term. Results from the content analysis indicated that a significantly greater proportion of weight loss advertisements contained a number of alarming properties that may influence impressionable adolescent girls. Sources Of Support: NA
Platform Abstracts / 50 (2012) S1–S15
Conclusions: Weight loss and improved self-efficacy, peer support, and sports involvement from an exergaming intervention are new contributions to research on effective health interventions for adolescents. Important sex and condition differences emerged. Exergaming induced weight loss for those who played cooperatively, and both exergame treatment conditions increased in peer support and self-efficacy. Exergaming also promoted sports involvement and marginally reduced perceived obstacles to exercise in boys but not in girls. Benefits of weight loss directly from the exergame intervention, as well as transfer effects of improved psychosocial health and increased sports involvement, highlight beneficial outcomes of exergaming among disadvantaged, overweight and obese youth. Sources Of Support: This research was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Grant #66723). 2. DISORDERED EATING AND MUSCLE-ENHANCING BEHAVIORS AMONG FRIENDS: A SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS Marla E. Eisenberg, ScD1, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD1, Melanie M. Wall, PhD2, Jin Joo Shim, BA2, Meg Bruening, MPH1, Katie Loth, MPH1. 1
University of Minnesota 2Columbia University
Purpose: Disordered eating behaviors are common among young people, and research has demonstrated the important influence of friends. However, most existing studies rely on participants’ perceptions of their friends’ behavior and focus on female samples. The present study examines associations between participants’ disordered eating and muscle-enhancing behaviors and those same behaviors reported by nominated friends in a diverse population-based sample of male and female adolescents. Methods: Data come from 1859 participants in EAT 2010 (Eating and Activity in Teens), who attended one of 20 middle and high schools in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area (mean age⫽14.1). Each participant was asked to nominate up to 3 male and 3 female friends from a roster of students in the same school. Data from nominated friends’ surveys were linked by ID number to each adolescent, allowing for the creation of friends’ predictors unique to each participant. The key independent variable was having at least one same-sex friend reporting the behavior of interest; dependent variables included dieting, chronic dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviors, extreme weight control behaviors, binge eating, steroid use, and use of other muscle-enhancing substances. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to test associations between friends’ use and the participant’s use of the same behavior controlling for clustering of students within schools. Results: The analytic sample was diverse with regards to race/ ethnicity (20% white, 25% African American, 17% Hispanic, 20% Asian) and economic status (53% of low or low-middle SES). Disordered eating and muscle-enhancing behaviors were common; for example, approximately half of females and one-third of males reported using unhealthy weight control behaviors, and 5% of females and 10% of males reported using muscle enhancing substances. Females’ chronic dieting (OR⫽1.76), extreme weight control (OR⫽3.09), and steroid use (OR⫽3.21), and males’ binge eating (OR⫽1.88), steroid use (OR⫽5.12) and use of muscle enhancing substances (OR⫽3.84) were each significantly related to friends’ use of the same behaviors, after adjusting for age, race, SES and number of friends with data. Conclusions: Findings with data from nominated friends support previous research regarding friends’ influence based on perceived measures, and extends this body of work into muscle-enhancing behaviors,
which are more common among males. Interventions capitalizing on social influences are needed to prevent these concerning behaviors. Sources Of Support: Grant #R01HL084064 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PI) and Grant Number 1U01HD061940 from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (Melanie M Wall, PI). 3. WEIGHT LOSS ADVERTISEMENTS ON TEEN MAGAZINE WEBSITES Jenna Kruger, MPH. Yale School of Public Health Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate and quantify the frequency and content of weight loss advertisements that appear on three popular teen magazine websites (Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and Girls’ Life). Methods: This study crafted new research methodology to quantify and analyze website content. The study was comprised of 2 distinct components: (1) quantifying the types and frequency of advertisements on teen magazine websites; and (2) a content analysis of any advertisements related to food, weight loss, healthy living, or fitness that appeared during data collection. With the knowledge that adolescent girls may look to the Internet and teen magazines as trusted sources of information, the study was designed to mimic the way in which an adolescent girl may approach these websites in search of weight-related advice or information. Four search terms of varying severity were entered in the keyword search box on these websites (“how to lose weight,” “dieting tips,” “how to get fit,” and “healthy living”). The types of advertisements that appeared on the search results webpages were recorded and any advertisement related to food, exercise, healthy living, or weight loss was included in the content analysis. Data was collected on 10 nonconsecutive days at the same time. Log linear models with a Poisson assumption and a series of Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. Results: There were a total of 108 observations (each observation represents 1 search term entered on 1 website on a given date) and 13 variables coded for the first part of the analyses. The results of the log-linear models with a Poisson assumption suggested that the teen magazine titles were good predictors of the type of advertisement. Pearson residual tests indicated that the models were a good fit for the data; over 95% of the data fit each of these 4 models. For the second part of the analyses, a total of 559 advertisements and 22 coded variables were analyzed. The results from the analysis of advertisement content indicated that clear associations exist between weight loss industry advertisements and a number of variables, including phrases intended to make readers feel bad about themselves, claims that the product/service will make the user feel better about themselves, and phrases suggesting that the product/service will make the user more physically attractive (p-value ⬍ 0.05). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine weight-loss advertisements on female teen magazine websites. Results indicated that significantly more weight loss advertisements appeared on www.seventeen.com than www.girlslife.com or www. teenvogue.com regardless of search term. Results from the content analysis indicated that a significantly greater proportion of weight loss advertisements contained a number of alarming properties that may influence impressionable adolescent girls. Sources Of Support: NA