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Dissertation Information for Feili B. Tu

NAME:
- Feili B. Tu

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- Texas Woman's University (USA) (1996)

ADVISORS:
- Adeline Wood Wilkes

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- John D'Angelo
- Jeffrey T. Huber

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: Facilitating the use of information to prevent eating disorders among adult women: A content analysis of lay/popular literature

Abstract: The present cultural trend toward preoccupation with weight and shape and pressure to be thin, in conjunction with certain pathogenic predisposing factors, have been implicated in creating an increase in the development of eating disorders among women. One of the strongest messengers in promoting these social-cultural pressures is the mass media. From an information professional's viewpoint, the media play a key role in disseminating the information to the general public and in serving as tools for promoting the prevention and control of these eating diseases.

The purpose of this study is to identify resources in print, popular periodical publications, examine the coverage of subject matter in these resources, and assess the information concerning adult women and eating disorders in lay/popular literature. Throughout the analysis and examination, the extent and strengths and weaknesses of the information concerning adult women and eating disorders that is found to exist in lay/popular literature is disclosed. In addition, an appraisal of lay-oriented publications reveals an existing knowledge gap, such as the lack of information, in public awareness about knowledge of eating disorders and explicate the significance of the provision of sufficient information, which strongly impacts the promotion of prevention and control.

The content analytic technique is utilized as the methodology to assess the information, and the research instruments are designed to handle the analytic process of this study, which consist of three procedures. First, in the determination of timeliness or currency of the information, the imprint date is screened. The second procedure is designed to identify the style of publication of the samples chosen for this study as either lay/popular literature or professional literature. The third procedure is designed to (1) examine the coverage of subject matter of the lay/popular items, (2) assess the information based on the categories of evaluation developed for this study, and (3) determine the degree of coverage of subject matter of the information, as measured by a five scale instrument designed for this study.

The results of the data analysis provide valid sources to answer the research questions of this study. Sample materials examined for this study included eighty-seven items from the literature classified as lay/popular of 1992-1995 and 250 items from the literature classified as professional for the same years. Among these eighty-seven items, nineteen (21.8%) were published in 1992; twenty-eight (32.2%) in 1993; twenty-one (24.1%) in 1994, and nineteen (21.8%) in 1995. These findings provided an answer to one of the research questions; access to information in the lay/popular literature is limited and cannot be considered comprehensive in providing information concerning adult women and eating disorders. Of the eighty-seven items of lay/popular literature analyzed in this study, sixty-seven (77%) were rated as scale 1, which indicated that less than half of the topics listed in the evaluative criteria were addressed in the items. In summary, the average percentage of the samples was 37.2%, and the average of the rated scale was 1.4. These results clearly indicated an answer to another research question that the coverage of subject matter concerning adult women and eating disorders in lay/popular literature is insufficient for lay persons in acquiring information.

MPACT Scores for Feili B. Tu

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:12:48

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