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

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.

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. 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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 69
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Palo Alto, California, United States, 94306
      • Stanford University
  • Maryland
    • Saint Marys City, Maryland, United States, 20686
      • St. Mary's College of Maryland

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

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.

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: Body Project: In Person Delivery; 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.	Behavioral: Peer Led Group Intervention; A four-week dissonance-based program where individuals with body image concerns complete verbal, written, and behavioral activities. The program consists of four 60-minute sessions; Other Names: Body Project
Experimental: Body Project: Virtual Delivery; 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.	Behavioral: Peer Led Group Intervention; A four-week dissonance-based program where individuals with body image concerns complete verbal, written, and behavioral activities. The program consists of four 60-minute sessions; Other Names: Body Project

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. The mean score across the items is reported. Overall scores can range from 1 to 6 and a higher score indicate a greater level of body satisfaction.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention (after completion of 4 weeks of group session once a week)
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. The mean score across the items is reported. Overall scores can range from 1 to 5 and a higher score indicates a greater level of thin ideal internalization.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention (after completion of 4 weeks of group session once a week)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body Project Specific Attitude Measures	7 items assessing attitudes that are targeted as part of The Body Project training using a response scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention.
Body Project Specific Outcome Measures	7 items assessing attitudes that are targeted as part of The Body Project training using a response scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention.
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. The mean score across the items is reported. Overall scores can range from 1 to 5 and a higher score indicates a greater level of negative affect.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention (after completion of 4 weeks of group session once a week)
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. The mean score across the items is reported. Overall scores can range from 1 to 5 and a higher score indicates greater frequency of dieting behaviors.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention (after completion of 4 weeks of group session once a week)
Body Comparison Orientation	The six selected items from the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Scale will assess the frequency of body comparisons using a response scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The mean score across the items is reported. Overall scores can range from 1 to 5 and a higher score indicates greater frequency of body comparison.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention (after completion of 4 weeks of group session once a week)
Change Over Time in Social Appearance Anxiety	The 16-item Social Appearance Anxiety Scale will assess levels of social appearance anxiety using a response scale ranging from 1 = not at all to 5 = extremely.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention.
Change Over Time in Body Compassion	The 10-item Body Appreciation Scale-2 will assess levels of body compassion using a response scale ranging from 1 = never to 5 = always.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention.
Change Over Time in Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale	The 10-item Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale will assess participants' views towards seeking help using a scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.	Pre intervention obtained on intake, and immediately post intervention.
Number of Eating Disorder Behaviors (Events) as a Measure of Change Over Time in Eating Disorder Symptoms	Interviewer assesses frequency of eating disorder behaviors using Eating Disorder Diagnostic Interview.	Pre intervention and 3 months after the end of the intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Stanford University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Eric Stice, PhD, Stanford University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 31, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 5, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): March 5, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): April 3, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 12, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Prevention; Peer Leader; Feeding and Eating Disorders
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Feeding and Eating Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 64138

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