The EAT Lab is recruiting for a research study in which young girls have the opportunity to participate in research on the Body Project via summer classes! The Body Project is a prevention and early intervention program designed to prevent eating disorders and promote healthy body image among young girls.
What?
The Body Project is a dissonance-based, body-acceptance intervention designed to help middle and high school-aged girls resist the pressures to conform to the "appearance ideal" and reduce their desires to change their body. Research on the Body Project shows that it improves body image and prevents the use of disordered eating behaviors among high school girls. Students meet in small groups of 6-10 for 1-hour once a week for 4 weeks with a trained Body Project facilitator while going through the program. Students will also complete questionnaires about eating behaviors and body image before, after, one-month after, and one-year after completing the training.
How Do I know I Qualify?
Middle school and high-school aged girls between the ages of 11-18 years of age can participate. If you are under 18, you must have your parent's permission to participate!
Where Does the Study Take Place?
The classes will take place on UofL's Belknap campus. Questionnaires will be completed in-person or online.
What is the Duration of the Study?
The classes last approximately one hour and will meet 4 times over the course of 4 weeks. Then questionnaires will be sent to participants to complete 1-month and 1-year after the training.
What are the Benefits of Participating?
50% of teenage girls report using unhealthy weight control behaviors, such as skipping meals, purging, taking laxatives, using diet pills, overexercising, or smoking cigarettes to suppress appetite. The Body Project has been shown to reduce risk of eating disorders and anxiety and improve body image in young girls. Participants may benefit from seeing similar improvements in their mental health and body image.
What are the Risks of Participating?
There are risks associated with answering questionnaires are experiencing boredom, fatigue, or
discomfort when completing the questionnaires.
discomfort when completing the questionnaires.
When & Where?
From 10-11:30am on UofL's Belknap campus on Thursday, June 16 - July 7, 2022.
How?
Those interested can contact the study principal investigator, Cheri Levinson at cheri.levinson@louisville.edu. Potential participants can also email bodyprojecthslouisville@gmail.com, or fill out the interest form below.
