The Impact of Playing Super U on Pre-adolescents' Body Image

Summary

Body image concerns can have serious physical and psychological consequences on young people, including anxiety, depression, risk taking behaviours, eating disorders and suicidal ideation.

Micro-interventions (brief, low intensity interventions), offer an alternative to traditional, intense interventions that aim to immediately improve specific symptoms. Body image micro-interventions have proven effective at providing immediate and short-term improvements in body image among adolescents within digital and community settings. To date, utilising micro interventions in the world of gaming remains unexplored. Specifically, the Roblox platform which is hugely popular among young people (Roblox, September 2022).

As such, the aim of the present study is to conduct a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the immediate and short-term impact of a Roblox game, Super U story, on American children and adolescents' body image, mood, internalisation of appearance ideals and social media literacy. The primary outcome is immediate change in state-based body satisfaction. Secondary outcomes include immediate changes in state-based mood and body functionality and short-term changes in trait body esteem, body appreciation, internalisation of appearance ideals and social media literacy.

The Super U story was developed through a collaboration between Dove (Unilever), Toya (game developers) and The Centre for Appearance Research. It was specifically designed to target sociocultural risk and protective factors for body image including social media literacy, appearance comparisons, positive body image and teasing/bullying around appearance.

The comparison control conditions include an active control; an alternative Roblox game; Rainbow Friends story which has been matched to the intervention on style, length, and age appropriateness (omitting body image messaging) and an attention control whereby participants complete a series of word searches.

To undertake the main trial, 1,479 girls and boys will be recruited through an external research agency. Participants will be randomised to one of three conditions: 1) the Super U story intervention, 2) alternative Roblox game or 3) attention control. All participants will be encouraged to play the game/word search for a maximum of 30 minutes, where they will be assessed on state-body image and mood immediately before and after completing the game/word search. All participants will be assessed on trait body esteem, body appreciation, internalisation of appearance ideals and social media literacy at baseline (one week pre-intervention) and again at one-week post intervention.

At the end of the study, all participants will receive a debrief form, outlining the study aims and objectives, and additional resources for body and eating concerns.

Conditions

• Body Image

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Super U Story intervention

Participants in this condition will be asked to play a Roblox adventure video game called 'Super U Story'. They will play the game once and have between 6 - 30 minutes to complete the game.

BEHAVIORAL

Alternative Roblox game

Participants in this condition will be asked to play an alternative Roblox adventure video game called Rainbow Friends Story (colour story). They will play the game once and have between 6 - 30 minutes to complete the game.

BEHAVIORAL

Online word search

Participants in this condition will have 20 minutes to complete a series of word searches online.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Unilever R&D

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• C+R research agency

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of the West of England

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Nicole Paraskeva, DHealth · University of the West of England

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

9 Years

Max Age

13 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-01-07

Primary Completion

2023-03-12

Completion

2023-03-19

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations