***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Background Guided by Attribution Theory , this study assessed stigmatizing attitudes towards an individual with anorexia nervosa ( AN ) compared to obesity and skin cancer , and examined the extent to which manipulating a target individual ’s level of blameworthiness affects levels of stigmatizing attitudes .  One hundred and thirty-five female undergraduate students were r and omly assigned to one of three conditions . Before and after receiving blameworthy or non-blameworthy information relating to the target ’s condition , participants completed a series of self-report inventories measuring their emotional reactions , desire for social distance , and causal attributions regarding the target . Results Participants reported a significantly greater desire for social distance from the target with AN compared to targets with obesity or skin cancer , and yet ( contrary to Attribution Theory ) attributed less blame to the target with AN . There were significant increases in stigmatization towards targets described as blameworthy relative to targets described as non-blameworthy . Conclusion The findings provide insight into the elevated levels of stigmatizing attitudes held towards individuals with AN , and the role of Attribution Theory in partially accounting for this stigma OBJECTIVES This study examines aspects of healthcare professionals ' knowledge and attitudes about eating disorders ( EDs ) , which might impede the effective detection or treatment of EDs in Irel and . METHODS A total of 1,916 healthcare professionals were invited to participate in a web-based survey . Participants were r and omly allocated to view one of five vignettes depicting a young person with symptoms consistent with anorexia nervosa , bulimia nervosa , binge-eating disorder , depression or type 1 diabetes . Study -specific questions examined participants ' responses to the vignettes and ED knowledge and experience . RESULTS In total , 171 clinicians responded ( 9 % response rate ) . Participants had an average of 15.8 years of clinical experience ( s.d.=9.2 ) and included psychiatrists , GPs , psychologists and counsellors . Although participants ' knowledge of EDs was moderately good overall , responses showed poor recognition of the symptoms of EDs compared with depression [ χ 2 ( 4 , n=127)=20.17 , p<0.001 ] . Participants viewed EDs as chronic disorders that primarily affected females . Participants believed that clinicians like working with patients with depression and diabetes more than with AN patients [ F (4,101)=5.11 , p=0.001 ] . Among the professionals surveyed , psychiatrists were the most knowledgeable about EDs [ F (4,82)=9.18 , p<0.001 ] , and were more confident in their ability to diagnose and treat EDs than professionals of all other disciplines , except psychologists [ F (4,85)=8.99 , p<0.001 ] . Psychiatrists were also the most pessimistic about ED patients ' long-term life prospect s [ χ 2 ( 4 , n=65)=15.84 , p=0.003 ] . CONCLUSIONS This study recommends that specific attention should be given to EDs in professional educational programmes across healthcare disciplines . This training should not be restricted to improving healthcare professionals ' knowledge of EDs , but should also strive to increase service-providers ' awareness of how their own potentially stigmatising attitudes can undermine engagement with treatment This research explores the intended and unintended consequences of eating disorder public service announcements . We assessed participants ’ attitudes toward eating disorders and people with eating disorders , willingness to interact with people with eating disorders , and experience with eating disorders ( covariate ) at Time 1 . At Time 2 , participants were r and omly assigned to watch a stigmatizing or a non-stigmatizing eating disorder public service announcement . Exposure to the stigmatizing public service announcement result ed in more negative attitudes toward eating disorders and in less willingness to interact with people with eating disorders , but not in significantly more negative attitudes toward people with eating disorders . The discussion highlights the practical implication s for health communication campaigns Background Eating disorders cause significant burden that may be reduced by early and appropriate help-seeking . However , despite the availability of effective treatments , very few individuals with eating disorders seek treatment . Training in mental health first aid is known to be effective in increasing mental health literacy and supportive behaviours , in the social networks of individuals with mental health problems . Increases in these domains are thought to improve the likelihood that effective help is sought . However , the efficacy of mental health first aid for eating disorders has not been evaluated . The aim of this research was to examine whether specific training in mental health first aid for eating disorders was effective in changing knowledge , attitudes and behaviours towards people with eating disorders . Methods A repeated measures , uncontrolled trial was conducted to establish proof of concept and provide guidance on the future design of a r and omised controlled trial . Self-report question naires , administered at baseline , post-training and 6-month follow-up , assessed the effectiveness of the 4-hour , single session , mental health first aid training . Results 73 participants completed the training and all question naires . The training intervention was associated with statistically significant increases in problem recognition and knowledge of appropriate mental health first aid strategies , which were maintained at 6-month follow-up . Sustained significant changes in attitudes and behaviours were less clear . 20 participants reported providing assistance to someone with a suspected eating disorder , seven of whom sought professional help as a result of the first aid interaction . Results provided no evidence of a negative impact on participants or the individuals they provided assistance to . Conclusions This research provides preliminary evidence for the use of training in mental health first aid as a suitable intervention for increasing community knowledge of and support for people with eating disorders to seek appropriate help . Trial registration Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry It is frequently reported that clinicians across a range of professional disciplines experience strong negative reactions toward patients with anorexia nervosa ( AN ) . The present study aim ed to develop , evaluate , and compare the effectiveness of two different educational programs , based on an etiological framing model . Participants were medical students ( N = 41 ) from an Australian University , who were r and omly assigned to one of three conditions ( biogenetic intervention vs. multifactorial intervention vs. control ) .  Outcome attitudinal/stigma data were collected pre- and post-intervention , and at 8 weeks follow-up . Results indicated intervention participations exhibited significantly lower volitional stigma scores compared to the control group , who exhibited no change in attitudes or stigma . Specifically , intervention participants had significantly lower total ED stigma scores , levels of blame , perceptions of AN as a selfish/vain illness , and viewed sufferers as less responsible for their illness at post-intervention . These reductions were maintained at follow-up . Overall , the study provides preliminary evidence that brief targeted interventions can assist in reducing levels of volitional stigma toward AN Starved is a situational comedy ( “ sitcom ” ) that depicted individuals with eating disorders that was feared to increase stigma . Our study directly examined this possibility by r and omly assigning participants to watch Starved or The Comeback ( a sitcom unrelated to eating disorders ) and measuring eating disorder stigma/stereotypes before and after viewing . Participants who viewed Starved did not show increased levels of stigma , suggesting that short-term exposure to an extreme portrayal of eating disorder stereotypes may not increase stigma . Future research should examine prolonged exposure and other potential sources of these negative attitudes OBJECTIVE We examined experimentally the way in which exposure to a sociocultural versus a biological/genetic explanation of the etiology of anorexia nervosa ( AN ) differentially affected attitudes towards AN . METHOD Undergraduate nursing students were r and omly assigned to read information emphasizing either biological/genetic or sociocultural factors in the development of AN . They then completed a series of question naires assessing their attitudes towards individuals with AN . Nonparametric tests were used to evaluate attitudinal differences between groups . RESULTS Those who were exposed to a biological/genetic explanation of the causes of AN tended to blame individuals with AN less than those exposed to a sociocultural explanation , although all results were not robust to correction for multiple comparisons . CONCLUSION If these results are replicated in larger , population -based sample s , wider dissemination of information regarding the biological and genetic underpinnings of AN should be considered as a possible pathway in decreasing the blame-based stigma associated with AN Few with eating disorders ( EDs ) access evidence -based treatments . We conducted a prospect i ve exploration of help-seeking by 57 community women with bulimic-type EDs using the Framework approach of familiarization , identifying themes , indexing , charting and mapping and interpretation .  The mean age of the sample was 33 years . Results found women sought help for concerns regarding perceived ( over ) weight rather than for eating , although many women would have welcomed questions from professionals regarding eating behaviours . Empathy , providing information and hope were considered important features of health professionals to provide a positive experience of help-seeking . Specific personal barriers to treatment included low motivation , fear of stigma , and cost . Greater clinician and community awareness of and action on these issues would likely help close “ the gap ” for effective help-seeking by those with EDs 
    Output:
    
Combined education and contact interventions  improved stigma relative to control groups or over time .
Despite apparent effectiveness , research should verify that biological explanations do not cause unintentional harm .