A Trial of Three School-based Body Image Interventions Delivered by Teachers

Summary

Body image is one of the leading concerns for young people. Such concerns can have serious health consequences, including unhealthy weight control and exercise behaviours, depression, smoking, low self-esteem and misusing drugs and alcohol. Leading and emerging approaches for improving body image are effective among older adolescent females, and when delivered by expert providers (e.g., psychologists). However, there is a need for body image programmes that include males and so can be delivered in co-educational settings, and can be delivered by non-expert providers (e.g., teachers within schools) to facilitate cost-effective and ongoing use.

This project will evaluate three classroom-based programmes for improving young people's body image, delivered by class teachers to girls and boys aged 13-14 years in secondary schools. Two programmes are based on leading (cognitive dissonance) and emerging (mindfulness) approaches for improving body image, but which have not been previously evaluated with both boys and girls and when delivered by teachers. The third programme has previously demonstrated effectiveness in improving body image when delivered by teachers to boys and girls in the classroom setting, and therefore will provide a useful comparison to benchmark these programmes.

To assess the impact of each programme, the current study will compare the body image and well-being of students who take part in each programme to students who take part in an alternative programme, and those who do not take part in any programme (classes as usual), over a 6-month period. The investigators will also assess the extent to which gender and pre-existing levels of body image concerns impacts the benefit received from taking part in the lessons. To undertake this project, the investigators will recruit students and teachers from 24 schools in Bristol and surrounding areas in the South West of England. Students will complete questionnaire assessments of body image and well-being before and after the 5-week programme period, and again 6 months later to assess longer-term benefits. The investigators will also gain in-depth feedback from students and teachers via focus groups and interviews, in order to inform future improvement of the programmes for wider implementation.

Therefore, this trial will assess whether the two newly adapted programmes result in improved body image compared to those who receive their classes as usual, and compared to an existing teacher-led programme.

Conditions

• Body Image

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness

Mindfulness-based body image intervention to be delivered 1 lesson per week for 5 weeks (5 x 45 minute lessons), by trained school teachers.

BEHAVIORAL

Dissonance

Dissonance-based body image intervention to be delivered 1 lesson per week for 5 weeks (5 x 45 minute lessons), by trained school teachers.

BEHAVIORAL

Dove Confident Me

Dove Confident Me body image intervention to be delivered 1 lesson per week for 5 weeks (5 x 45 minute lessons), by trained school teachers.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of the West of England

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Melissa J Atkinson, PhD · University of the West of England

• Phillippa C Diedrichs, PhD · University of the West of England

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

12 Years

Max Age

15 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-09-18

Primary Completion

2018-07-31

Completion

2018-12-31

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations