3 - (SYM 114) Developing and Implementing a Justice-focused Body Image Program for U.S. Middle Schoolers: A School-based Participatory Action Research Process

There is a need for body image interventions for early adolescents that are gender inclusive, diversity-focused, and developed in collaboration with youth community partners. Such programming has the potential to both reduce body image concerns and prevent disordered eating among young people during a critical developmental stage, particularly for those who are at unique risk due to experiences of social marginalization and stress. This presentation describes:
1. a participatory-action research process to create a justice-focused, multi-session body image program for early adolescents in the U.S. ages 11-14.
2. Preliminary results from a pilot research trial of the program.
This school-initiated collaboration included intervention development through a team of two psychology professors, five undergraduate students, 10 middle school staff members and teachers, and 17 middle school students. Team members had a diverse range of intersecting cis- and trans- gender, racial, sexuality, and disability identities. Specific steps to the participatory intervention development process included: (a) establishing team leads at each site to maintain a collaborative and non-hierarchical team structure; (b) bi-weekly advisory team meetings to establish program needs, discuss content options, and review facilitation and structure options; (c) a year-long youth co-design process to generate content ideas, pilot pieces of programming, and incorporate youth leadership through an equity lens; (d) inclusive program writing from members of socially marginalized groups across sites; (e) program piloting to solicit feedback
from teachers, facilitators, and students; and (f) incorporating feedback with cross-site team input.
The resulting 8-session (6 hours total) Body Justice Project has both dissonance-based and media literacy foundations covering cultural appearance ideals, diet culture and non-diet nutrition, media and appearance pressure, and body autonomy. A pilot research trial of the program began in February 2023, with trained undergraduate student facilitators and middle school student co-leaders delivering the intervention in 14 classrooms (N = 186 students). Outcomes (collected pre-, post-, and at 2-month follow-up) include appearance satisfaction, self-esteem, internalization of appearance ideals, intuitive eating, and appearance-based school culture. Data collection will conclude in May 2023, and within-group outcomes and reflections on the participatory research process will be presented.