Effectiveness of Psycho-education Regarding Eating Disorders on Knowledge among Adolescent Girls

Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses characterized by an all-consuming desire to be thin, concerned about distorted body image and an intense fear of weight gain that are affecting adolescent girls with increasing frequency. Due to the inadequate knowledge they are following wrong techniques such as over dieting, misuse of laxatives and over exercising that may results in other somatoform disorders like malnutrition, anaemia.

To assess the effectiveness of psycho-education to bring a significant change in the knowledge of adolescent girls regarding eating disorders.

True experimental research design, pre test post test control group design was used to conduct the study. A structured knowledge questionnaire was used to collect data. Sample included 30 adolescent girls in experimental and 30 adolescent girls in control group, was selected by simple random method i.e. lottery method. The data collected before and after the administration of psycho-education programme were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Pre-test mean level of knowledge in experimental group and control group was 9.40 and 8.57 respectively. The post-test mean level of knowledge in experimental group and control group was 8.57 and 11.13. Hence, statistically mean level of knowledge of both groups was significant. But mean difference in experimental group was more than that of control group in post-test.

The overall findings of study revealed that there was significant increase in the knowledge of adolescent girls after administration of planned psycho-education programme. Hence it is concluded that the planned psycho-education programme was highly effective in improving the knowledge of adolescent girls.