Evaluating a school-based intervention to improve media literacy and reduce body dissatisfaction in Colombian adolescents
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN15802562 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN15802562 |
- Submission date
- 03/08/2025
- Registration date
- 04/08/2025
- Last edited
- 04/08/2025
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Many young people in Latin America, including Colombia, struggle with body dissatisfaction. Despite this, there are very few programs designed specifically for this region that have been tested and shown to work. This study is testing a 4-session classroom-based program aimed at helping adolescents feel better about their bodies by improving their understanding of how the media can influence appearance ideals. A small pilot study in Barranquilla (involving 300 students) showed that the program was both acceptable to students and potentially effective. We are now planning to assess the effectiveness of the intervention program with 1000 adolescents.
Who can participate?
Adolescents in grades 7 to 10 (11 to 17 years old) from urban and rural areas in Colombia
What does the study involve?
The study involves participating in a four-session intervention during school time where we talk about media, appearance pressures, comparisons and appearance comments. Before and after the sessions, we will give you some questionnaires to fill out about how you feel about your body, media literacy, appearance comparisons, general wellbeing, eating disorder symptoms, risky appearance-related behaviours and your attitudes about skin colour. These questionnaires will be collected at three different time points: before the program starts (baseline), 1 week after it ends (immediate post-test) and 9-12 months later (follow-up).
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
We expect participants to feel better about themselves and improve their media literacy skills. We do not expect any risks or negative consequences from participating in this study. However, if you do not feel comfortable talking about these topics, you can stop your participation at any time or choose not to answer certain questions.
When is the study starting and how long is it expeted to run for?
January 2025 to September 2028
Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by the UKRI Horizon Guarantee scheme grant
Who is the main contact?
Prof. Lynda Boothroyd, l.g.boothroyd@durham.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific, Principal Investigator
South Road
Durham
DH13LE
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-6660-5828 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)1913343240 |
| l.g.boothroyd@durham.ac.uk |
Public, Scientific
Km. 5 vía Puerto Colombia
Barranquilla
15969
Colombia
| ORCID ID |
0000-0001-7712-9927 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +57 (0)653509509 |
| chamorroa@uninorte.edu.co |
Study information
| Study design | Cluster randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Cluster randomised trial |
| Study setting(s) | School |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Scientific title | Can a facilitator-delivered, group-based school intervention increase media literacy and decrease body dissatisfaction in adolescents? A cluster randomised controlled trial in Colombia |
| Study acronym | BiRes |
| Study objectives | 1. Evaluate whether participants randomised to receive the intervention ("soy como soy") show increased media literacy, decreased body dissatisfaction, and/or improvements in secondary outcomes at T2 and T3 compared to baseline, relative to participants randomised to the control group 2. Assess effects of moderators (SES, school type, location) on any observed changes in primary and secondary outcomes in response to the intervention |
| Ethics approval(s) |
1. Approved 02/07/2024, Psychology Ethics Committee Durham University (South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom; +44 (0)1913343240; psychology.ethics@durham.ac.uk), ref: PSYCH-2024-0327-1476 2. Approved 16/01/2025, Research Ethics Committee of the Health Sciences Division at Universidad del Norte (Km. 5 vía Puerto Colombia, Barranquilla, 15969, Colombia; +57 (0)53509509; comite_eticauninorte@uninorte.edu.co), ref: 328 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Body dissatisfaction and media literacy in adolescents |
| Intervention | In this two-arm cluster randomized controlled superiority trial we will compare changes in primary and secondary outcomes in participating adolescents randomised to receive either the intervention or a wait-list control condition in a parallel group design over the first 9-12 months of the study. The group allocation ratio is 1:1, clustered by school and stratified by school location (urban/rural), socioeconomic position (high/low), and funding status (state/private). The study involves participating in a four-session intervention during school time where we talk about media, appearance pressures, comparisons and appearance comments. Participants in the waitlist control group will receive the intervention after the follow-up. Before and after the sessions, we will give you some questionnaires to fill out about how you feel about your body, media literacy, appearance comparisons, general wellbeing, eating disorder symptoms, risky appearance-related behaviours and your attitudes about skin colour. These questionnaires will be collected at three different time points: before the program starts (baseline), 1 week after it ends (immediate post-test) and 9-12 months later (follow-up). |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Media literacy measured using the self-reported questionnaire Perceived Reality Scale-Social Media at baseline, immediate post-test and follow-up 2. Body dissatisfaction measured using the self-reported questionnaire Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA) at baseline, immediate post-test and follow-up |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Comparison attitudes, measured using the self-reported questionnaire Multidimensional Physical Appearance Comparison Scale (M-PACS) at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up 2. Thin ideal internalization, measured using the self-reported questionnaire Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4, thin internalization subscale (SATAQ-4) at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up 3. Curvy ideal internalization (girls only), measured at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up using the self-reported questionnaire Curvy Ideal Internalization scale (CII) 4. Drive for muscularity (boys only), measured using the self-reported questionnaire Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up 5. Eating disorder symptoms, measured using the self-reported questionnaire Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire short version (EDE-QS) at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up 6. General wellbeing, measured using the self-reported questionnaire WHO-5 Well-Being Index for adolescents at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up Exploratory outcomes: 1. Risky appearance-altering behaviours, measured using the self-reported questionnaire Risky Appearance Altering Behaviours Inventory (RAABI) at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up 2. Colourism attitudes, measured using the self-reported questionnaire Colorism Scale at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up 3. Skin colour satisfaction, measured using the self-reported item “How satisfied are you with your skin colour?” at baseline, immediate post-test, and follow-up |
| Overall study start date | 16/01/2025 |
| Completion date | 01/09/2028 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Learner/student |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Lower age limit | 11 Years |
| Upper age limit | 17 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 1000 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Aged 11 – 17 years 2. Attending a participating school and class 3. Written parental consent 4. Give written assent before the start of the study |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Aged ≤11 or ≥17 years 2. Do not have written parental consent 3. Participants with mental health conditions (e.g., active eating disorders) are not excluded from the study; however, parents are explicitly advised to think carefully about whether consenting to their child’s participation in the study is in their best interests in this situation and not to give consent if they have any concerns |
| Date of first enrolment | 13/08/2025 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/09/2027 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Colombia
Study participating centre
Barranquilla
-
Colombia
Sponsor information
University/education
South Road
Durham
DH1 3LE
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)191 334 3240 |
|---|---|
| psychology.office@durham.ac.uk | |
| Website | https://www.dur.ac.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/01v29qb04 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/09/2030 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in publicly available repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The results of this trial will be published in international peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences, regardless of the study outcomes. Participating schools will also receive summary reports detailing the findings. |
| IPD sharing plan | Anonymised datasets generated and analysed during the current study will be stored in a publicly available repository (Open Science Framework, osf.io) |
Editorial Notes
04/08/2025: Study's existence confirmed by the Research Ethics Committee of the Health Sciences Division at Universidad del Norte.
