Universal prevention program of eating, weight and body image problems in adolescents: A 12-month follow-up

In recent years, the broad spectrum of weight-related problems has increased considerably among both teenage boys and girls. This makes it fundamental to create programs that are more efficient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the short-, mid- and long-term efficacy of the current prevention program applied to 14-year-old teenagers.

For this study, 73 girls and 83 boys were assigned to an experimental condition (n=156), while 68 girls and 84 boys were assigned to a control condition (n=152). We used a mixed 2 (control and experimental condition) x 3 (Time: post-test, 6 month-follow-up and 12- month-follow-up) factorial design.

Those participants who belonged to the experimental condition exhibited significantly higher scores of body satisfaction, self-esteem, emotional repair and clarity, lower scores of self-oriented perfectionism, and internalization of thinness and ideal muscularity compared to the control group in post-intervention assessments and in both follow-ups. No statistically significant gender differences were found regarding the effectiveness of the program.

Universal, ecological programs may be effective in reducing risk factors and/or maximizing protective factors, which could in turn reduce concerns about body image, eating and weight.