03/13/05

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathryn Madden - 541-484-2123

Oregon Research Institute Receives Funding to Study Eating Disorders

Funding from the National Institute of Mental Health was received this week by the Oregon Research Institute (ORI) to study a prevention program for body image and eating disorders in adolescent girls. The $1.8 million, five-year grant represents a new research area for the Eugene-based research center. The project will be led by Eric Stice, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Institute. Co-Investigator on the project will be Paul Rohde, Ph.D.

Stice and colleagues will study the effectiveness of a prevention program for body image problems, eating disorders, and obesity. The study will evaluate a program in which adolescent girls discuss cultural pressures for thinness and how to respond to these pressures in a healthy way.  All adolescent girls at the major high schools in Springfield, Bethel, and Eugene school districts will be invited to participate in the study. 

“Body image and eating problems, which are often unrecognized, affect a large portion of adolescent girls, cause emotional distress, and increase risk for future depression and obesity,” notes Stice.  He hopes that by offering this body acceptance class to local adolescent girls that we can reduce the rates of these serious problems.   

Stice, who joined ORI in 2003, was the 2004 winner of the American Psychological Association (APA) Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contribution to Psychology for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of eating disorders.

Founded in 1960, Oregon Research Institute is a non-profit behavioral research center with offices in Eugene, Portland, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.