The Body Project: Comparing the Effectiveness of an In-person and Virtually Delivered Intervention.

Stanford University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Eating Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Peer Led Group Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05794763

64138

Details and patient eligibility

About

This present study will compare the efficacy of in-person versus virtually-delivered Body Project groups. It will also evaluate whether this body acceptance class produces greater reductions in eating disorder risk factor symptoms (pursuit of the thin ideal, body dissatisfaction, dieting, dietary restraint, negative affect, eating disorder symptoms, and the future onset of eating disorders over a 3-month follow-up in this population. It will also evaluate the effectiveness of this body acceptance class's ability to impact social appearance anxiety, body compassion, and self-stigma surrounding attaining help.

Full description

Dozens of eating disorder prevention programs have been evaluated, but only the 4-hr Body Project has reduced eating disorder symptoms and future eating disorder onset over 3-4 year follow-up, produced larger reductions in outcomes than credible alternative interventions, been shown to engage the intervention target (valuation of the thin beauty ideal), and produced effects in trials from several independent teams. The proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness of a peer-implemented, virtually delivered, body acceptance class compared to a peer-implemented, in-person delivery of the same class. Participation in the intervention will last four weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to the in-person or virtual body acceptance class. Assessments will take place at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up.

Enrollment: 69 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria: Participants had to express body image concerns and all gender identities besides cisgender and transgender men were eligible.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cisgender and transgender men were excluded due to the fact that The Body Project is typically administered with groups of all cisgender women.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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69 participants in 2 patient groups

Body Project: In Person Delivery

Experimental group

Description:

In the in-person peer-led group intervention, participants voluntarily engage in verbal, written, and behavioral exercises in which they critique and discuss the costs of pursuing the thin-ideal ideal. The intervention is 4 sessions long (1-hr each) and is administered by trained peer facilitators who use an intervention script. Participants will be asked to complete weekly home exercises throughout the course of the intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Peer Led Group Intervention

Body Project: Virtual Delivery

Experimental group

Description:

In the virtual peer-led group intervention held over Zoom, participants voluntarily engage in verbal, written, and behavioral exercises in which they critique and discuss the costs of pursuing the thin-ideal ideal. The intervention is 4 sessions long (1-hr each) and is administered by trained peer facilitators who use an intervention script. Participants will be asked to complete weekly home exercises throughout the course of the intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Peer Led Group Intervention