Introduction
binge-eating disorder, Media, bulimia nervosa, eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, AN
Adolescents and young adults are at high risk of developing an eating disorder (ED), and it is estimated that 55.2% of cases of anorexia nervosa (AN), 45.3% of cases of bulimia nervosa (BN) and 34.5% of cases of binge-eating disorder (BED) occur before the age of 18 years-old (Solmi et al., Lifetime prevalence of EDs in the general population is 1.69%. Specifically by diagnostic category, the rate of AN is 0.16%, for BN it is 0.63% and for BED it is 0.16%. In Western countries, lifetime prevalence of any ED is greater than 1.89%, with increased percentages specially in women and girls of 2.58% (Qian et al., Traditionally, in the field of EDs, much research has been devoted to selective prevention and treatment rather than to universal prevention. Risk factors that are typically addressed in both universal prevention and treatment include body self-esteem, dietary restraint, thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction (i.e., media literacy) (Levine & Piran, Recent years have seen growing interest in examining the effectiveness of traditional universal preventive interventions targeting ED in adolescents. Some studies indicated that only media literacy programs were effective in reducing shape and weight concerns at post-test and at follow-up (6–30 months) in boys and girls (Le et al., E-Health interventions for preventing EDs have been increasingly recognized (Aardoom et al., So far, e-Health interventions in adolescents have been tested in very few studies, showing small effects. Media literacy and advocacy skills programs produced a small improvement in the internalization of societal ideals relating to appearance at follow-up (3–5 months) (Kusel, Despite these valuable efforts, there is still much uncertainty about the effectiveness of universal e-Health preventive programs in adolescents, as most of the available studies have mainly focused on treatment approaches (Aardoom et al., Against this background, this study aimed to develop a universal, school based, psychoeducational e-Health preventive intervention for ED involving teachers and parents and examine its effectiveness. Specifically looking at its effectiveness in: (1) reducing risk of ED; (2) minimizing extreme BMI changes; (3) reducing shape concerns and drive-for-thinness attitudes; (4) reducing food preoccupation and bulimia-related behaviors; (5) reducing self-control behaviors and social pressure related to food; (6) enhancing adherence to the Mediterranean diet; (7) promoting an active lifestyle; (8) improving self-esteem; and (9) bolstering family functioning.