Happy being me in the UK: A controlled evaluation of a school-based body image intervention with pre-adolescent children

Diedrichs, Phillippa C.; Bird, Emma L.; Bird, Emma; Halliwell, Emma; Diedrichs, Phillippa C; Harcourt, Diana

Abstract

This study evaluated an adapted version of 'Happy Being Me', a school-based body image intervention, with girls and boys aged 10-11 years. Forty-three children participated in a three-week intervention, and 45 children formed a control group. Both groups completed measures of body satisfaction, risk factors for negative body image, eating behaviors, self-esteem, and intervention topic knowledge, at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. For girls, participation in the intervention resulted in significant improvements in body satisfaction, appearance-related conversations, appearance comparisons, eating behaviors and intervention topic knowledge at post-intervention, although only the change in body satisfaction was maintained. There was also a significant decrease in internalization of cultural appearance ideals from baseline to follow-up. For boys, participation in the intervention resulted in significant improvements in internalization and appearance comparisons at post-intervention; however, neither of these changes were sustained at follow-up. There were no improvements in the control group over time. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2013
• Deposit Date: Feb 28, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 17, 2016
• Journal: Body Image
• Print ISSN: 1740-1445
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 326-334
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.02.008
• Keywords: body image, intervention, pre-adolescents, school, body satisfaction
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/932964
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.02.008
• Contract Date: Mar 17, 2016