More Than Body Appearance (MBA) Intervention

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The link between sport, physical exercise, and body image depends on the reasons underlying an individual's desire to engage in sport and physical exercise. Individuals characterized by reasons for exercise related to physical appearance are likely to focus on factors such as the number of calories burned, reductions in body weight, or visible changes in physical appearance during the practice; in accordance, appearance-related reasons for exercise are associated with body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. In contrast, reasons to exercise unrelated to physical appearance (such as health and enjoyment) are associated with body satisfaction. Thus, only certain reasons for exercise are associated with positive body image outcomes. Recently, literature studies affirmed that experimental designs could manipulate the emphasis placed on function (as opposed to physical appearance) during sport practice and physical exercise to promote positive body image. Based on this evidence, the first objective of the study will be testing the effectiveness of a psychological online intervention (More than Body Appearance [MBA] intervention) targeting body image in improving body image in individuals practicing physical activity.

Official Title
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More Than Body Appearance (MBA) Intervention: Investigation of the Efficacy of a Psychological Online Intervention to Improve Body Image

Conditions
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Body Image

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: More than Body Appearance (MBA) Intervention


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Practice of any kind of physical activity; Exclusion Criteria: Presence of a full-blown Body Image Disorder (BID); Current treatment for a BID; Absence of physical activity practice.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Experimental Group<br>Participants in the Experimental group start the MBA intervention immediately (Time 0; T0). | Other: More than Body Appearance (MBA) Intervention<br>* The MBA intervention is a structured 2-weeks psychological intervention. Participants will receive psychoeducational online materials pertaining body image (1st week) and will be required to produce writing assignments pertaining body image in terms of body functionality (2nd week). During the first week of intervention participants receive psychoeducational online materials pertaining to: positive and negative body image; body image disorders; risk and protective factors for body image; relationship and influences between body image and physical activity, including reasons for exercise; what is body functionality and why it is important. During the second week participants produce 3 structured writing assessment pertaining to body functionality and why it is important.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Waiting-list group<br>Participants in the waiting-list group start the MBA intervention at Time 1 (T1; 15 days after the Experimental group). | Other: More than Body Appearance (MBA) Intervention<br>* The MBA intervention is a structured 2-weeks psychological intervention. Participants will receive psychoeducational online materials pertaining body image (1st week) and will be required to produce writing assignments pertaining body image in terms of body functionality (2nd week). During the first week of intervention participants receive psychoeducational online materials pertaining to: positive and negative body image; body image disorders; risk and protective factors for body image; relationship and influences between body image and physical activity, including reasons for exercise; what is body functionality and why it is important. During the second week participants produce 3 structured writing assessment pertaining to body functionality and why it is important.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Body appreciation | Improvements in body appreciation assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2; Minimum value: 10; Maximum value: 50; higher scores represent higher body appreciation) | 2 weeks | 
| Body functionality | Improvements in body functionality assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Functional Appreciation Scale (FAS; Minimum value: 7; Maximum value: 35; higher scores represent higher body functionality) | 2 weeks | 
| Body esteem | Improvements in body esteem assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Body Esteem Scale (BES; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 92; higher scores represent higher body esteem) | 2 weeks | 
| Body dysmorphic disorder symptoms | Reductions in body dysmorphic disorder symptoms assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Questionario sul Dismorfismo Corporeo (QDC; Minimum value: 40; Maximum value: 280; higher scores represent higher body dysmorphic disorder symptoms) | 2 weeks | 
| Internalization of sociocultural standards of beauty | Reductions in internalizalized sociocultural standards of beauty assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire-4R (SATAQ-4R; Minimum value: 31; Maximum value: 155; higher scores represent higher internalizalized sociocultural standards of beauty) | 2 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Self-Esteem | Improvements in self-esteem assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Minimum value: 10; Maximum value: 40; higher scores represent higher self-esteem) | 2 weeks | 
| Risk of developing eating disorders | Reductions of the risk of developing eating disorders assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3; Minimum value: 25; Maximum value: 150; higher scores represent higher risk) | 2 weeks | 
| General distress | Reductions in general distress assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 63; higher scores represent higher general distress) | 2 weeks | 
| Intuitive eating | Improvements in intuitive eating assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Intuitive Eating Sale-2 (IES-2; Minimum value: 23; Maximum value: 115; higher scores represent higher intuitive eating practices) | 2 weeks | 
| Orthorexic behaviors | Reductions in orthorexic behaviors assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: ORTO-15 (Minimum value: 15; Maximum value: 60; higher scores represent higher orthorexic behaviors) | 2 weeks | 
| Reasons for exercise | Reduction of physical appearance reasons for exercise assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Reasons for Exercise Inventory (REI; Minimum value: 24; Maximum value: 168) | 2 weeks |