Moms on Media Study

Health Behavior Clinical Trial

— MOMS  

Official title:

Moms on Media Study: Testing the Influence of Social Media on the Health Behaviours of Mothers During the Postpartum Period

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05181280
• Other study ID #: 054798
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: November 15, 2020
• Est. completion date: February 21, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: May 2023
• Source: University of Guelph
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This research will explore the impact of digital technology, specifically social media, on the health behaviours of mothers in the postpartum period by conducting an experimental study to test the effect of social media messaging on body dissatisfaction, eating attitudes and behaviours, and physical activity intentions and behaviours among postpartum mothers. The primary objective is to determine the extent to which body image messaging targeting mothers, compared with the control, result in feelings of body dissatisfaction and poorer eating attitudes and behaviours, and increased physical activity intention immediately following the 5-day exposure period. The secondary objective is to determine the sustained impact of the body image messaging compared to control at 1-month follow-up.

Description:

The postpartum period is a critical time for both maternal and child health. Body dissatisfaction is higher during the postpartum period compared to other periods of life and is strongly associated with disordered eating behaviours. Body dissatisfaction among mothers not only effects the health of mothers but can also negatively influence the eating attitudes and behaviours of their children. Although research has shown that media images have a strong adverse influence of women's body dissatisfaction, most of this research has focused on traditional forms of media, such as magazines. Limited research has explored how messages and images on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, influence women's body dissatisfaction and disordered eating risk, and no studies have explored this association among mothers. This is a concern as nearly 90% of mothers use social media regularly. Thus, little is known about how the current media environment influences body dissatisfaction and eating behaviour during the postpartum period. The proposed research will address this knowledge gap by conducting an experimental study to test the effect of social media messaging on body dissatisfaction, eating attitudes and behaviours, and physical activity intentions and behaviours among postpartum mothers. The primary objective is to determine the extent to which body image messaging targeting mothers, compared with the control, result in feelings of body dissatisfaction and poorer eating attitudes and behaviours, and increased physical activity intention immediately following the 5-day exposure period. The secondary objective is to determine the sustained impact of the body image messaging compared to control at 1-month follow-up. This study will provide a much-needed understanding of the effect of digital technology on postpartum mothers' body dissatisfaction, eating attitudes and behaviours, and physical activity intentions and behaviours. Results will inform healthcare interventions, equipping clinicians with research-based evidence to support postpartum mothers in maintaining positive body image and healthy eating and physical activity attitudes and behaviours.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 132
• Est. completion date: February 21, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: January 22, 2021
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Female
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Can respond to surveys in English
• Has a child 0-6 months old
• Owns a smartphone

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of anxiety or depression
• Taking pharmacological treatments for anxiety or depression

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Health Behavior

Intervention

Other:
• Intervention Group
Exposure session will consist of 15 social media "ideal body" message posts.
• Control Group
Exposure will consist of 15 social media posts on infant feeding tips.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	University of Guelph	Guelph	Ontario

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Guelph	Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research (CFDR)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in Body Dissatisfaction at 5 days and 1 month	Body dissatisfaction will be measured using the body satisfaction subscale from the Multidimensional Eating Disorder Inventory, a 9-item subscale that measures satisfaction with physical appearance. This subscale includes questions such as "I think my stomach is too big". This subscale has been validated among a diverse population of women, with good internal consistency. Response options are "never", "rarely", "sometimes", "often", "usually", and "always", and are coded as 1-6 respectively. Higher scores indicate higher levels of body dissatisfaction.	5 days and 1 month
Secondary	Change in Eating Attitude at 5 days and 1 month	Disordered eating attitudes will be measured using the validated Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), a 26 items scale that measures attitudes toward food, body, and eating. Response options for all questions are "never", "rarely", "sometimes", "often", "usually", "always" with higher scores indicating higher levels of disordered eating attitudes.	5 days and 1 month
Secondary	Change in Eating Behaviour at 5 days and 1 month	Disordered eating behaviours will be measured using the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ), a 24-item questionnaire with 3 subscales that measures restrained eating, emotional eating (4-item version), and external eating. This well-established questionnaire was found to have good internal consistency among each of the 3 subscales (Cronbach's Alpha 0.80 - 0.95), has been used to examine the eating behaviours of mothers,49 and postpartum mothers, and has been validated among diverse populations. The DEBQ includes questions such as "how often do you refuse food and drink offered because you are concerned about your weight?". Response options range from never to very often are assigned a score between 1 and 5. Scored are summed for each of the subscales, with higher scores indicating more restrained eating, more emotional eating, and more external eating.	5 days and 1 month