An evaluation of the Dove Self Esteem Project School Workshops for Body Confidence in secondary schools in the United Kingdom
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN16782819 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN16782819 |
| Protocol serial number | N/A |
| Sponsor | Centre for Appearance Research |
| Funder | Dove Self Esteem Project, Unilever |
- Submission date
- 17/12/2014
- Registration date
- 15/01/2015
- Last edited
- 16/10/2015
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims:
An estimated 25-60% of adolescents in Western countries feel unhappy with the way they look. These body image concerns can have serious health consequences, including unhealthy weight control and exercise behaviours, depression, smoking, low self-esteem and misusing drugs and alcohol. This research will test a series of classroom-based workshops that aim to improve young people's body image. The workshops have been developed by the Dove Self-Esteem Project in collaboration with researchers, psychologists, teachers and students. They will be delivered to girls and boys aged 11-13 years in secondary schools in the South of England. To understand the impact of the workshops, our study will compare the body image and well-being of students who take part in the workshops to students who do not take part in the workshops over one year. We will also compare the impact of the workshops when they are delivered by researchers with expertise in body image and secondary school teachers who will receive brief training in how to deliver body image workshops. We will also get feedback from students and teachers to inform future revisions and improvement of the workshops.
Who can participate?
Year 7 and Year 8 classes from co-educational secondary schools in the South of England. The girls and boys in these classes will be approximately 11-13 years. The schools should have average or below average proportions of students with special educational needs and be medium-large in size (i.e., they will have 5 or more classes per year level).
What does the study involve?
Schools are randomly allocated into one of two groups. Students attending schools in group 1 are given body image workshop sessions. Students in group 2 have their usual timetabled class lessons.
The students who take part in the workshops receive either one 90-minute interactive body image lesson (i.e., the single session version of the body image intervention we are testing), or, five 45-minute interactive body image lessons over 5 weeks (i.e., the multi-session version of the intervention we are testing). The workshops are delivered in the classroom with one leader for approximately 25-30 students. The workshops target some of the key influences on young people's body image. This includes the nature and source of society's ideas of beauty and 'looking good'; skills for young people to think critically about the media and advertising; understanding and reducing how often we compete and compare our looks to other people; talking about appearance; and steps that young people can take in their everyday lives to challenge unrealistic beauty ideals. The materials have been developed to suit classes of boys and girls, and to cover both traditional and social media. Student learning is facilitated through class discussion, small group activities, and video clips. The workshops are run either by a university researcher who has experience in body image or by the school class teachers. Teachers receive 2-hours of group training, which covers body image, the lesson’s key concepts, and tips for addressing body image in the classroom.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The benefits for schools and students taking part in the research include staff development and training in relation to body image, students taking part in a program that is likely to benefit their health and well-being, ongoing access to free body image resources, and a donation to school equipment. Many schools and students report that they find taking part in research like this to be a rewarding experience, as they learn about new topics and feel a sense of reward for contributing to research that will benefit broader society. Body image can be a sensitive and personal topic for some young people. Therefore, there is a risk that taking part in body image lessons and completing body image questionnaires at school may cause some distress for children. This risk is minimised in the current study as prior research has shown that the workshop materials are likely to improve young people's body image and well-being. Furthermore, prior research has shown that using these types of questionnaires to ask children about body image is unlikely to result in any distress. Schools and students are also provided with referrals to external sources of support, and all data collection and workshops will be supervised by classroom teachers and a trained researchers.
Where is the study run from?
Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UK)
When is study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2014 to January 2016.
Who is funding the study?
Dove Self-Esteem Project, Unilever (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Phillippa Diedrichs
Contact information
Public
Centre for Appearance Research
University of the West of England
Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
BS16 1QY
United Kingdom
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Phase 1: A parallel 3-arm cluster randomised controlled trial at six school sites with two schools in each condition (lessons as usual control; single session intervention researcher-led; single session intervention teacher-led). Phase 2: A parallel 2-arm cluster randomised controlled trial at six school sites with two schools in each condition (lessons as usual control; 5-session intervention teacher-led) |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of classroom-based body image interventions when delivered to secondary school students by teachers and researchers |
| Study objectives | 1. We hypothesize that relative to the control group who will receive their usual class lessons, secondary school students receiving the body image interventions will report significantly improved body image, reduced severity of risk factors associated with poor body image, and improvements on related psychosocial and disordered eating outcomes. 2. We also hypothesize that intervention effects will be larger when delivered by external expert providers compared to teachers with limited experience delivering body image interventions. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences Research Ethics Committee at the University of the West of England, 08/04/2014, ref: HAS/14/03/5)1 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Body image dissatisfaction, disordered eating, psychosocial well-being. |
| Intervention | 1. Lessons As Usual Control: Students will receive their usual timetabled schools lessons covering their usual subject areas. 2. Single Session Body Confidence Workshop: Students will receive a 90-minute interactive classroom-based body image lesson with one provider for approximately 25-30 students ('The Dove Self Esteem Project Body Confidence Workshop for Schools: Single Session'). The lesson takes an etiological approach targeting risk factors for poor body image. It addresses the nature and source of societal appearance ideals, media literacy, appearance-related social comparisons, and body activism. The intervention materials are derived from an evidence-based body image intervention 'Happy Being Me' developed by Richardson & Paxton (2010). In this study, the 'Happy Being Me' materials have been abbreviated, adapted for a co-educational audience, and updated to cover both traditional and social media. Skills-based learning is facilitated through class discussion, small group activities, and video stimuli. Materials include a detailed lesson plan for the interventionist, PowerPoint slides and student activity sheets. 3. 5-Session Body Confidence Workshop Series: Students will receive five 45-minute interactive classroom-based body image lessons with one provider for approximately 25-30 students ('The Dove Self Esteem Project School Workshops for Body Confidence: 5-session Series'). The lessons also take an etiological approach targeting risk factors for poor body image. They addresses the nature and source of societal appearance ideals, media literacy, appearance-related social comparisons, appearance-related conversations, and body activism. The intervention materials are derived from an evidence-based body image intervention 'Happy Being Me' developed by Richardson & Paxton (2010). In this study the 'Happy Being Me' materials were adapted for a co-educational audience, and updated to cover both traditional and social media and to include more interactive content. Skills-based learning is facilitated through class discussion, small group activities, and video stimuli. Materials include detailed lesson plans for the interventionist, PowerPoint slides and student activity sheets. In the Researcher-Led trial arm, the intervention will be delivered by researchers with Masters or PhD-level qualifications in psychology and expertise in body image research. In the Teacher-Led trial arms, the intervention will be delivered by usual class teachers who receive 2-hours group training, covering body image, the lesson’s key concepts, and tips for addressing body image in the classroom. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Body image is the primary outcome assessed via self-report questionnaires at 1-week pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention (same day or week as final lesson delivered), 8-9 weeks follow-up, and 6- and 12-month follow-up (12 month will be assessed in the Phase 2 trial only). |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
Secondary outcomes include risk factors for body image, related psychosocial and disordered eating outcomes, and process outcomes measured at the same timepoints as the primary outcome measures. |
| Completion date | 30/01/2016 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 1700 |
| Key inclusion criteria | School Inclusion Criteria: 1. Co-educational 2. ≥ 5 classes per year 3. Available to include all Year 7 and/or 8 classes in the study 4. Average or below national average proportion of students with special educational needs Student Inclusion Criteria: 1. Young person enrolled in Year 7 or 8 at eligible British Secondary School. |
| Key exclusion criteria | School Exclusion Criteria: 1. All girls or all boys school 2. < 5 classes per year 3. Not available to include all Year 7 and/or 8 classes in the study 4. Above national average proportion of students with special educational needs Student Inclusion Criteria: 1. Young person not enrolled in Year 7 or 8 at an eligible British Secondary School. |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/02/2014 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/04/2015 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centre
Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
BS16 1QY
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| IPD sharing plan |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/11/2015 | Yes | No | |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
16/10/2015: Publication reference added.
