The transition to college has been identified as a critical period for increases in overweight status. Overweight college students are at-risk of becoming obese adults, and, thus prevention efforts targeting college age individuals are key to reducing adult obesity rates. The current study evaluated an Internet intervention with first year college students (N = 170) randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: 1) no treatment, 2) 6-week online intervention 3) 6-week weight and caloric feedback only (via email), and 4) 6-week combined feedback and online intervention. The combined intervention group had lower BMIs at post-testing than the other three groups. This study demonstrated the effectiveness and feasibility of an online intervention to prevent weight gain among college students.

The aspect of perfectionism captured by scores on a subscale measuring concern over mistakes may be particularly associated with eating disorders and not generically predictive of psychopathology.

Objective The comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders (EDs) is high among women but has been understudied in men. Little is known about the association between partial or subthreshold PTSD and EDs among women or men. Method This study included PTSD and ED data from male (n=2382) and female (n=3310) National Comorbidity Survey-Replication study participants. Results The vast majority of women and men with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) reported a history of interpersonal trauma. Rates of PTSD were significantly higher among women and men with BN and BED. Subthreshold PTSD was more prevalent than threshold PTSD among women with BN and women and men with BED. Discussion Interpersonal forms of trauma, PTSD, and subthreshold/partial PTSD, were prevalent among men and women with EDs. Findings highlight the importance of assessing for trauma and PTSD in ED patients.

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Although disordered eating behaviors are relatively common among college women, many questions about their etiology remain. In the present study, structural equation modeling was used to investigate potential mediating associations among variables previously found to be associated with the continuum of disordered eating behaviors in a large sample of college women. Results indicated that family conflict, family cohesion, and childhood physical and emotional abuse and neglect were not directly associated with disordered eating. Rather, their association with disordered eating was mediated by alexithymia and depression. These results were cross-validated in a second sample of college women. These data highlight the complexity of disordered eating and provide future directions for the prevention and treatment of the continuum of disordered eating behaviors.

Body image disturbance is both positively associated with the development of eating disorders and negatively associated with recovery. However, the aspects of body image most relevant to eating disorders have not been clearly established. Body image preoccupation may be particularly relevant to disordered eating. Yet, its measurement has proven problematic. In Study 1, a modification of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), a measure of body image preoccupation (P. J. Cooper, M. J. Taylor, Z. Cooper, & C. G. Fairburn, 1987), was developed in a sample of female undergraduates. The BSQ-R-10 yielded reliable and valid scores, and was more strongly related to disordered eating than measures of body image attitudes. In Study 2, the BSQ-R-10 was cross-validated in another sample of female undergraduates, and its psychometric properties further supported.Although clinical eating disorders are relatively uncommon in college women (e.g., Mintz, O'Halloran, Mulholland, & Schneider, 1997, found that approximately 6.6% of college women met diagnostic criteria), subclinical eating disorders are far more prevalent. Some studies have found that as many as 20% of college women report that they have engaged in disordered eating behaviors (e.g., Halmi, Falk, & Schwartz, 1981;Striegel-Moore, Silberstein, Frensch, & Rodin, 1989). Mintz and Betz (1988) found that 61% of college women had some intermediate form of an eating disorder (such as chronic dieting, subclinical bulimia, or bingeing or purging alone). Thus, unhealthy eating behaviors may actually be considered relatively normative among undergraduate women.Previous studies have shown that body image disturbance is one of the most salient features of the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (Attie & Brooks-Gunn, 1989;Garner, Garfinkel, Rockert, & Olmsted, 1987;Striegel-Moore et al., 1989). Indeed, body image disturbance is one of the criteria that must be present for a clinical diagnosis of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa to be made (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Moreover, body image disturbance is a significant factor in both the development and outcome of clinical and subclinical eating disor-

Objective: To explore how genetic epidemiology has informed the identification of endophenotypes and how endophenotypes may inform future classification of eating disorders.Method: Literature review and synthesis.Results: Although a number of endoand subphenotypes have been suggested for eating disorders, few reach the rigorous definitions developed for candidate endophenotypes. Conclusion:Further study of endophenotypes and subphenotypes for eating disorders may assist with developing a more homogenous classification system that more closely reflects underlying biological mechanisms, and provides a clearer focus for the development of coherent models and treatments. V V C 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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