Body dissatisfaction is common among adolescents and is a well-established risk factor for the development of eating disorders. Young athletes may be particularly vulnerable because they are exposed to appearance-related pressures from both society and sport environments. Despite the high prevalence of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among young athletes, there is a lack of evidence-based, large scale prevention programs specifically designed for young athletes.
The Young Athlete Body Project is an age- and sport-adapted version of the evidence-based Body Project, a cognitive dissonance-based prevention program that has been shown to reduce body dissatisfaction, internalization of appearance ideals, and eating disorder risk in adolescents and adults from diverse population groups. A pilot study of the Young Athlete Body Project among adolescent athletes demonstrated that the program was acceptable and perceived as beneficial by participants. The findings also indicated promising improvements in the internalization of the thin body ideal and increased awareness of appearance-related pressures, supporting the need for further evaluation in a larger randomized controlled trial.
The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Young Athlete Body Project among adolescent athletes attending sports-specialized lower and upper secondary schools in Norway. The program aims to promote positive body image and body acceptance, reduce the internalization of appearance ideals, strengthen resistance to appearance-related pressures, and prevent body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among adolescent athletes.
The intervention program will contribute with new evidence-based knowledge on the effect of a prevention program targeting body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among adolescents athletes.
Norwegian lower and upper secondary schools with sport-specialized programs
Students participating in organized sports
Students able to understand Norwegian and complete study questionnaires
Students who provide informed consent/assent to participate
Norwegian lower and upper secondary schools that do not offer sports-specialized programs
Students who do not participate in sports
Parallel
Young Athlete Body Project
BehavioralThe Young Athlete Body Project is a five-week school-based intervention consisting of two 60-minute digital educational sessions followed by three 60-minute instructor-led group workshops. The educational sessions cover (1) nutrition in relation to health, puberty, and athletic performance, and (2) social media, body ideals, and mental health in sport. The workshop component is delivered in small, gender-specific groups and is based on kognitive dissonance theory. Workshop activities focus on reducing internalization of appearance ideals, promoting positive self-talk, critically evaluating media influences, and developing strategies for managing body-related pressures in sport. The intervention is adapted for adolescent athletes and tailored to the sporting context. All workshops are delivered according to a standardized manual by trained instructors.
Short- and long-term effect of the Young Athlete Body Project intervention on internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals
Change in internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals from baseline to post-intervention and follow-up, using the internalization subscales of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4). Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals.
Short- and long-term effects of the Young Athlete Body Project intervention on body appreciation
Change in body appreciation from baseline to post-intervention and follow-up, measured using the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater body appreciation.
Short- and long-term effect of the Young Athlete Body Project intervention on eating disorder symptoms
Change in eating disorder symptoms using the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short Form (EDE-QS). Scores range from 0 to 3, with higher scores indicating more severe eating disorder symptoms.
Acceptability of the Young Athlete Body Project intervention among adolescent athletes
Acceptability of the intervention among participating students assessed through qualitative interviews conducted after completion of the intervention. The assessment will explore participants' experiences with the intervention content, delivery format, perceived relevance, satisfaction, and perceived benefits.
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Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Lead sponsor
University of Oslo
Collaborator
