More Than Body Appearance (MBA) Intervention

Body Image Clinical Trial

Official title:

More Than Body Appearance (MBA) Intervention: Investigation of the Efficacy of a Psychological Online Intervention to Improve Body Image

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04677400
• Other study ID #: 3811
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: November 16, 2020
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2023

Study information

• Verified date: June 2023
• Source: University of Padova
• Contact: Silvia Cerea, PhD
• Phone: 3491445112
• Email: silvia.cerea[@]unipd.it
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The link between sport, physical exercise, and body image depends on the reasons underlying an individual's desire to engage in sport and physical exercise. Individuals characterized by reasons for exercise related to physical appearance are likely to focus on factors such as the number of calories burned, reductions in body weight, or visible changes in physical appearance during the practice; in accordance, appearance-related reasons for exercise are associated with body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. In contrast, reasons to exercise unrelated to physical appearance (such as health and enjoyment) are associated with body satisfaction. Thus, only certain reasons for exercise are associated with positive body image outcomes. Recently, literature studies affirmed that experimental designs could manipulate the emphasis placed on function (as opposed to physical appearance) during sport practice and physical exercise to promote positive body image. Based on this evidence, the first objective of the study will be testing the effectiveness of a psychological online intervention (More than Body Appearance [MBA] intervention) targeting body image in improving body image in individuals practicing physical activity.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 100
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2023
• Est. primary completion date: December 30, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Practice of any kind of physical activity;

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of a full-blown Body Image Disorder (BID);
• Current treatment for a BID;
• Absence of physical activity practice.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Body Image

Intervention

Other:
• More than Body Appearance (MBA) Intervention
The MBA intervention is a structured 2-weeks psychological intervention. Participants will receive psychoeducational online materials pertaining body image (1st week) and will be required to produce writing assignments pertaining body image in terms of body functionality (2nd week). During the first week of intervention participants receive psychoeducational online materials pertaining to: positive and negative body image; body image disorders; risk and protective factors for body image; relationship and influences between body image and physical activity, including reasons for exercise; what is body functionality and why it is important. During the second week participants produce 3 structured writing assessment pertaining to body functionality and why it is important.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Italy	University of Padua	Padua	PD

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Padova

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Italy, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Body appreciation	Improvements in body appreciation assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2; Minimum value: 10; Maximum value: 50; higher scores represent higher body appreciation)	2 weeks
Primary	Body functionality	Improvements in body functionality assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Functional Appreciation Scale (FAS; Minimum value: 7; Maximum value: 35; higher scores represent higher body functionality)	2 weeks
Primary	Body esteem	Improvements in body esteem assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Body Esteem Scale (BES; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 92; higher scores represent higher body esteem)	2 weeks
Primary	Body dysmorphic disorder symptoms	Reductions in body dysmorphic disorder symptoms assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Questionario sul Dismorfismo Corporeo (QDC; Minimum value: 40; Maximum value: 280; higher scores represent higher body dysmorphic disorder symptoms)	2 weeks
Primary	Internalization of sociocultural standards of beauty	Reductions in internalizalized sociocultural standards of beauty assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire-4R (SATAQ-4R; Minimum value: 31; Maximum value: 155; higher scores represent higher internalizalized sociocultural standards of beauty)	2 weeks
Secondary	Self-Esteem	Improvements in self-esteem assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Minimum value: 10; Maximum value: 40; higher scores represent higher self-esteem)	2 weeks
Secondary	Risk of developing eating disorders	Reductions of the risk of developing eating disorders assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3; Minimum value: 25; Maximum value: 150; higher scores represent higher risk)	2 weeks
Secondary	General distress	Reductions in general distress assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 63; higher scores represent higher general distress)	2 weeks
Secondary	Intuitive eating	Improvements in intuitive eating assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Intuitive Eating Sale-2 (IES-2; Minimum value: 23; Maximum value: 115; higher scores represent higher intuitive eating practices)	2 weeks
Secondary	Orthorexic behaviors	Reductions in orthorexic behaviors assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: ORTO-15 (Minimum value: 15; Maximum value: 60; higher scores represent higher orthorexic behaviors)	2 weeks
Secondary	Reasons for exercise	Reduction of physical appearance reasons for exercise assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Reasons for Exercise Inventory (REI; Minimum value: 24; Maximum value: 168)	2 weeks