Happy Being Me: outcomes of a peer-based body dissatisfaction prevention intervention in young adolescent girls

Abstract

This study aimed to examine body dissatisfaction and risk factor outcomes following participation in Happy Being Me, a 6-lesson peer-based prevention intervention for young adolescent girls. Participants were 491 female year 7 students randomly allocated to the Happy Being Me intervention condition (N=295) or control condition (N=196). Self-report questionnaire data was collected at baseline, post-program, and 6-and 12-month follow-up. Preliminary data analyses for the incomplete sample indi-cate baseline to 6-month follow-up improvements for internalisation of the thin ideal (F = 5.38 (1, 332), p = .021), appearance comparisons (F = 10.21 (1, 312), p = .002), and media literacy (F = 15.98 (1, 327), p < .001) in the Happy Being Me intervention condition relative to the control condition. Reductions in the intervention condi-tion were not significantly different from the control con-dition for weight and shape concern (F = 0.28 (1, 313), p = .599) or body dissatisfaction (F = 2.48 (1, 313), p = .116). Twelve-month follow-up data will be presented for the complete sample. The results from this study provide preliminary evidence for positive outcomes following par-ticipation in a classroom delivered multi-component peer-based body dissatisfaction prevention intervention. This abstract was presented in the Prevention stream of the 2013 ANZAED Conference.