Peer-Led Dissonance Eating Disorder Prevention: Virtual Delivery

Pilot Testing Virtual Delivery of the Body Project Eating Disorder Prevention Program

This proposed pilot study will 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 and negative affect), eating disorder symptoms, and future onset of eating disorders over 6-month follow-up in this population.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Eating Disorders
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Peer Led Group Intervention

Detailed 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. Although undergraduate peer-educator-led Body Project groups have produced larger reductions in outcomes than an eating disorder education video, an unmoderated Internet-based prevention program, and even clinician-led Body Project groups, it can be logistically difficult to schedule in-person Body Project groups with high school and college students. One solution to this key implementation barrier is to have peer educators deliver Body Project groups virtually over the Internet. A pilot trial in Sweden provided initial evidence that virtually-delivered peer-led Body Project groups produced greater reductions in eating disorder symptoms and future onset of eating disorders than an active expressive-writing intervention. The proposed pilot study will evaluate whether Body Project produces greater reductions in risk factor symptoms, eating disorder symptoms, and future onset of eating disorders in this population.

Participation in the intervention will last four weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention condition or waitlist-control condition. Assessments will take place at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6 month follow up. Waitlist control participants will receive the intervention after they complete their post-test assessment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 75
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Stanford, California, United States, 94305
      • Stanford University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 26 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Body image concerns

Exclusion Criteria:

• N/A

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Peer Led Group Intervention; In the virtual 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.	Behavioral: Peer Led Group Intervention; Four week dissonance-based program wherein women with body image concerns complete verbal, written, and behavioral activities. The program consist of four 60-minute sessions.; Other Names: Body Project
No Intervention: Wait-List Control; Participants will be placed on a wait list for four weeks, an equal span of time of participants in the peer led group intervention. At four weeks, participants will complete their post-test assessment, then receive the intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change over time in Body Dissatisfaction	Ten items from the Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction with Body Parts Scale assessed satisfaction with body parts with a response scale ranging from 1 = extremely dissatisfied to 6 = extremely satisfied	pre intervention obtained on intake, immediately post intervention, and 6-months after the conclusion of the intervention
Change over time in Thin Ideal Internalization	The eight-item Ideal-Body Stereotype Scale-Revised will assess endorsement of the thin beauty ideal using a response scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.	pre intervention obtained on intake, immediately post intervention, and 6-months after the conclusion of the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change over time in Negative Affect	Twenty items from the sadness, guilt, and fear/anxiety subscales from the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale-Revised will assess negative affect. Participants reported the extent to which they had felt negative emotions on scales ranging from 1 = very slightly or not at all to 5 = extremely.	pre intervention obtained on intake, immediately post intervention, and 6-months after the conclusion of the intervention
Change over time in Dieting	The 10-item Dutch Restrained Eating Scale will assess the frequency of dieting behaviors using a response scale ranging from 1 = never to 5 = always.	pre intervention obtained on intake, immediately post intervention, and 6-months after the conclusion of the intervention
Change over time in Eating Disorder symptoms	Interviewer assesses frequency of eating disorder behaviors using Eating Disorder Diagnostic Interview	pre intervention obtained on intake, immediately post intervention, and 6-months after the conclusion of the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Stanford University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 3, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 31, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): May 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 10, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 12, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): June 16, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 28, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 27, 2021
• Last Verified: September 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Prevention; Peer Leader; Feeding and Eating Disorders
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Disease; Feeding and Eating Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 54596

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No