Young Athlete Body Project - Prevention of Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders Among Adolescent Athletes (YABP)

August 26, 2026 updated by: Professor Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Young Athlete Body Project (YABP): A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Intervention Promoting Healthy Body Image and Preventing Eating Disorders Among Adolescent Athletes in Sports-Specialized Lower and Upper Secondary Schools

Body dissatisfaction is common among adolescents and is a well-established risk factor for the development of eating disorders. Young athletes may be particularly vulnerable because they are exposed to appearance-related pressures from both society and sport environments. Despite the high prevalence of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among young athletes, there is a lack of evidence-based, large scale prevention programs specifically designed for young athletes.

The Young Athlete Body Project is an age- and sport-adapted version of the evidence-based Body Project, a cognitive dissonance-based prevention program that has been shown to reduce body dissatisfaction, internalization of appearance ideals, and eating disorder risk in adolescents and adults from diverse population groups. A pilot study of the Young Athlete Body Project among adolescent athletes demonstrated that the program was acceptable and perceived as beneficial by participants. The findings also indicated promising improvements in the internalization of the thin body ideal and increased awareness of appearance-related pressures, supporting the need for further evaluation in a larger randomized controlled trial.

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Young Athlete Body Project among adolescent athletes attending sports-specialized lower and upper secondary schools in Norway. The program aims to promote positive body image and body acceptance, reduce the internalization of appearance ideals, strengthen resistance to appearance-related pressures, and prevent body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among adolescent athletes.

The intervention program will contribute with new evidence-based knowledge on the effect of a prevention program targeting body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among adolescents athletes.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is a school-based cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted among adolescent athletes attending sports-specialized lower and upper secondary schools in Norway.

Based on statistical power analyses, approximately 1740 adolescent athletes aged 13-17 years are expected to participate in the study. The sample size calculation was based on effect sizes observed in the pilot study of the Young Athlete Body Project (0.40 for thin-ideal internalization and 0.23 for muscularity-ideal internalization), a significance level of α = 0.05, and 80% statistical power. The calculation accounted for the clustered study design by assuming an average cluster size of 60 students per school and an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.02. In addition, the sample size was adjusted for an anticipated attrition rate of up to 25%. Based on these assumptions, between 291 and 867 participants are required per study arm. To ensure adequate power for all primary outcomes and follow-up assessments, approximately 1740 participants will be recruited.

Participating schools will be randomized to either the intervention group or control group. Randomization will be conducted at the school level to minimize contamination between participants within schools. Data will be analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Intervention effects will be evaluated using linear mixed-effects regression models with a random intercept for school to account for clustering at the school level.

The intervention, Young Athlete Body Project, is delivered during school hours over a five-week period and consists of two digital educational sessions followed by three in-person workshops. The educational sessions focus on (1) energy availability, nutrition, biological maturation and puberty in young athletes and (2) social media, body ideals and mental health in sport. These topics are part of the existing curriculum in sports-specialized lower and upper secondary schools and provide the foundation for the subsequent workshop activities. Students attending schools randomized to the intervention group will receive the educational sessions and take part in the workshops as part of their school program. Participation in the research component of the study, including completion of questionnaires and other study-related assessments, is voluntary and requires informed consent.

The workshops are conducted in small sex-specific groups of approximately ten participants and are led by trained instructors following a standardized intervention manual. The workshop content is adapted from the evidence-based Body Project and is based on cognitive dissonance principles. Through guided discussions, role-play activities, reflective exercises and written assignments, participants are encouraged to critically examine appearance ideals, body appearance pressures and sociocultural influences related to body image. The workshops also focus on strengthening body acceptance, reducing internalization of appearance ideals and developing strategies to cope with appearance-related pressures from sport, social media and society.

Data will be collected using self-report questionnaires administered at baseline, immediately following the intervention, and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up assessments. Outcomes will be assessed using the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2), the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire short form (EDE-Q short form), and additional questions assessing mental health and psychosocial functioning. In addition, a randomized subsample of participants will be invited to participate in qualitative interviews to evaluate their experiences with and perceived benefits of the program. All participants scoring ≥15 on the EDE-Q short form, together with a sex-matched sample of participants scoring below this cut-off, will be invited to complete the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE), a structured diagnostic interview assessing eating disorder symptoms, behaviors, and related cognitions. These interviews will be used to strengthen the validity of self-reported questionnaire data and provide a more comprehensive assessment of eating disorder outcomes.

The study will evaluate both short-term and long-term effects of the intervention and provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of a school-based body image and eating disorder prevention program specifically adapted for adolescent athletes.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
1740

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Eva Berg Stensrud, MS
  • Phone Number: +47 93015039
  • Email: evabst@nih.no

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Jorunn Sungodt-Borgen, PhD

Study Locations

  • Norway
      • Oslo, Norway, 0862
        • Recruiting
        • Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
        • Contact:
          • Eva Berg Stensrud, M.Sc
          • Phone Number: +47 93015039
          • Email: evabst@nih.no
    • Kringsjå
      • Oslo, Kringsjå, Norway, 0863
        • Recruiting
        • Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Norwegian lower and upper secondary schools with sport-specialized programs
  • Students participating in organized sports
  • Students able to understand Norwegian and complete study questionnaires
  • Students who provide informed consent/assent to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Norwegian lower and upper secondary schools that do not offer sports-specialized programs
  • Students who do not participate in sports

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intervention Group
Participants receive the Young Athlete Body Project intervention, a five-week program consisting of two 60-minute digital educational sessions and three 60-minute instructor-led group workshops. The program addresses nutrition, health, social media, body image, and mental health in sport, and includes dissonance-based activities designed to reduce body dissatisfaction and body ideal internalization.
Behavioral: Young Athlete Body Project
The Young Athlete Body Project is a five-week school-based intervention consisting of two 60-minute digital educational sessions followed by three 60-minute instructor-led group workshops. The educational sessions cover (1) nutrition in relation to health, puberty, and athletic performance, and (2) social media, body ideals, and mental health in sport. The workshop component is delivered in small, gender-specific groups and is based on kognitive dissonance theory. Workshop activities focus on reducing internalization of appearance ideals, promoting positive self-talk, critically evaluating media influences, and developing strategies for managing body-related pressures in sport. The intervention is adapted for adolescent athletes and tailored to the sporting context. All workshops are delivered according to a standardized manual by trained instructors.
Other Names:
  • YABP intervention
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants in the control group receive one 60-minute digital educational session covering nutrition, health, social media, body ideals, and mental health in sport.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Short- and long-term effect of the Young Athlete Body Project intervention on internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks), 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after intervention.
Change in internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals from baseline to post-intervention and follow-up, using the internalization subscales of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4). Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals.
Baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks), 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Short- and long-term effects of the Young Athlete Body Project intervention on body appreciation
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks), 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after intervention.
Change in body appreciation from baseline to post-intervention and follow-up, measured using the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater body appreciation.
Baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks), 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after intervention.
Short- and long-term effect of the Young Athlete Body Project intervention on eating disorder symptoms
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks), 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after intervention.
Change in eating disorder symptoms using the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short Form (EDE-QS). Scores range from 0 to 3, with higher scores indicating more severe eating disorder symptoms.
Baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks), 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after intervention.
Acceptability of the Young Athlete Body Project intervention among adolescent athletes
Time Frame: Post-intervention (5 weeks)
Acceptability of the intervention among participating students assessed through qualitative interviews conducted after completion of the intervention. The assessment will explore participants' experiences with the intervention content, delivery format, perceived relevance, satisfaction, and perceived benefits.
Post-intervention (5 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Oslo

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 30, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 31, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 31, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 26, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • EBS987326

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be publicly shared due to privacy and confidentiality considerations involving adolescent participants.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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