'Mental Health Europe' koos een
preventieproject van eetstoornis.be
Mental Heath Promotion of Adolescents and Young People
An Vandeputte
eetstoornis.be, centrum voor preventie en behandeling van
eetstoornissen
België: Vlaams-Brabant, Holsbeek
An.Vandeputte@advalvas.be
Mental Health Europe is de Europese afdeling van de 'World Federation
of Mental Health'. Ze treden op als 'Liaison Office for Mental Health'
van de Europese Unie.
diende bij deze organisatie een
eetstoornis-preventie-project in. Dit project betreft een mogelijke
preventieaanpak voor adolescenten die kan toegepast worden in scholen.
Het uitgangspunt van het project is de grote focus op gezond
gedrag. Recente literatuur toont immers aan dat ingaan op ongezond
gedrag (door b.v. te sterk in te gaan op de verschillende eetstoornissen)
vaak geen (of zelfs een negatief) effect heeft.
Door middel van een gestandaardiseerde vragenlijst, konden we bij
leerlingen een positieve evolutie inzake relevante attitudes vaststellen.
Onderstaand vindt u de originele (Engelstalige) projectsamenvatting.
Directory of projects in Europe
(published by Mental Health Europe and financed by the European
Commission)
Belgium
Prevention of Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders
1. Project Description
Disordered eating is a serious (health) problem. As adolescents grow
into adults, they experience substantial physical changes (height,
weight gains, etc). These changes are often accompanied by negative
feelings. The prevalence of dieting and eating disorders and related
problems (alcohol use, tobacco use and drug use, delinquency,
unprotected sexual activity and suicide attempts) is quite dramatic. The
project aims at preventing disordered eating by focusing on healthy behavior.
2. Project Aims
Prevention of eating disorders: helping students feel comfortable
with their body.
3. Method of Intervention
There are two programmes within this project. The "Coach the
student programme" consists of a lesson of two hours/class (4
classes a day) in school. Its main purpose is to discuss with students
what pressure they are experiencing concerning their appearance and
provide possible positive coping strategies. The 'Teach the teacher-programme'
helps teachers by providing them with basic information and skills on
how to promote good health among their students (information on sexual
maturation, height increases, and variable weight gains that occur
during puberty), on how to promote a healthy school environment
(harassment, teasing, etc.) and finally how eating disorders can be
detected very early.
4. Duration of the Project
After having been asked by schools as an expert on eating disorders
to talk about eating disorders (both for teachers and students), An
Vandeputte, a social worker, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist,
developed a training and teaching programme for students and teachers in
1995. On January 1, 2001 she started a professional centre for the
prevention of eating disorders (eetstoornis.be). "Coach the
student" and "teach the teacher" are two programmes of
eetstoomis.be.
5. Target Group
General population of adolescents and young people.
6. Evaluation/Random Controlled Trial (RCT)
After the training sessions, there is a standard evaluation.
Evaluations show that participants are satisfied with the content, and
develop a more positive attitude towards (their own and others) normally
shaped bodies.
7. Involvement of Young People in the Project
Adolescents are approached in an active, experience-oriented way.
Based on their own experiences, a positive body image is promoted.
8. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Project
The project can easily be duplicated by professionally coached social
workers and therapists and is feasible for other countries. The
strongest feature is its potentially very great impact on mental health
among young people. Its main weakness is that it is financed by the
schools.
Contact:
eetstoornis.be
De site van Mental Health Europe = http://www.mhe-sme.org/
