RESUMEN
We describe a community-engaged research process to co-create and implement an evidence-informed, diversity-focused body image program for early adolescents. Our team included middle school staff, students, and teachers, and university faculty and students. Team members had a diverse range of intersecting cis- and transgender, racial, sexuality, and disability identities. Specific steps to the research process included: (1) establishing team leads at each site to maintain a collaborative and non-hierarchical team structure; (2) bi-weekly advisory team meetings to establish program needs and discuss curriculum and implementation options; (3) a year-long youth co-design process to generate content ideas, pilot pieces of programming, and incorporate youth leadership through an equity lens; (4) inclusive program writing from members of socially marginalized groups; (5) program piloting to solicit feedback from teachers, facilitators, and students; and (6) collaboratively incorporating feedback. The resulting 8-session (6 hours total) Body Justice Project has both dissonance-based and media literacy foundations, with topics related to cultural appearance ideals, diet culture and non-diet nutrition, media and appearance pressure, and body autonomy. It is designed for in-class delivery to middle school students by trained college and youth co-facilitator teams. We emphasize guiding principles and lessons learned, along with next steps in implementation.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: A novel peer facilitation model was used to deliver a two session, dissonance-based, inclusive body image intervention that critically examines how internalized size-based oppression intersects with race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability. METHOD: The EVERYbody Project was open to all college students and delivered by "expert" peer facilitators with body image and diversity experience and advanced facilitation skills. Recruitment was halted due to COVID-19; 90 students in the Northwest US (M age = 19.83 years, SD = 2.38; 80% female-identified, 13% male-identified, 7% gender expansive) were randomized to receive the EVERYbody Project or a video-based, low-dissonance comparison intervention. RESULTS: Around half of students (56%) held one or more specific socially marginalized identity (26% with a racial or ethnic identity other than white and non-Hispanic, 39% with a sexual identity other than straight, 7% with a gender identity other than cisgender). The EVERYbody Project produced greater reductions in three outcomes associated with poor body image (internalized appearance norms, body dissatisfaction, and negative affect) compared to the video intervention through 3-month follow-up (ps < .003) with medium between group effects. Both conditions experienced small reductions in eating disorder psychopathology over time. DISCUSSION: Expert peer facilitation may be a viable delivery model for inclusive, diversity-focused dissonance-based body image programs. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study explored a novel facilitation approach for a diversity-focused body image program for college students. A brief (4 h) dissonance-based program was open to all college students and delivered by "expert" diverse peer leaders who were screened for facilitation readiness. Body image and related outcomes were improved through 3-month follow-up relative to a comparison condition, suggesting that expert peer facilitation may be a viable option for delivering universal, inclusive body image programming.