Media analysis and resistance by elementary school children in the primary prevention of eating problems

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Abstract
This paper describes our efforts to promote “media literacy” and media resistance skills in boys and girls ages 9-11 who were participating in a controlled evaluation of a 10-lesson prevention program designed to improve nutrition and exercise behavior and to promote self-acceptance and body esteem. Our approach to a critical evaluation of mass media focused on student content analyses of nutritional and body shape messages, followed by consideration of the disparity of their findings and emphasis on healthy messages about eating, weight, and shape in the entire curriculum. This approach was by and large ineffective in both grades, and was not well-received by nearly a third of the teachers. However, the entire curriculum was moderately successful in increasing knowledge, and it had a positive effect on 5th graders' attitudes toward fat people. Images and content from the mass media, scattered throughout the lessons and homework assignments, may have been instrumental in these effects. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the need for a different type of media literacy lesson and for a more systemic approach to primary prevention.