Abstract
Objective: This study examined the effect of the placement of a warning text before visiting proanorexia websites on actual access of these websites. Method: A separate webpage with a warning text aiming at first-time visitors was placed before each proanorexia website hosted by a Dutch Internet provider. During the research period of 1 year, the numbers of hits at the warning webpage were registered together with the numbers of hits at the underlying proanorexia website. Results: Of the total number of hits registered at the warning webpage, about two-third of the visitors were registered at the underlying proanorexia website. This indicates that about one-third of the visitors did not continue their visit to a proanorexia website after being exposed to the warning text. Discussion: Placement of a warning text before proanorexia websites appears a promising strategy in holding back potential visitors.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 139-145 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | International Journal of Eating Disorders |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Anorexia
- Forewarning
- Internet
- Pro-anorexia websites