Body Image Pilot Projects 1 and 2 (1999-2000)

Outline and Rationale

The first pilot project: Body Image Project (BIP) was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and conducted by the North Metropolitan Health Service during 1999. The project examined the effects of a school-based prevention education program that targeted Year 6 students, their parents and teachers from eleven primary schools located in the North Metropolitan Region. The aim of the project was to reduce the level of poor body image, and to improve attitudes to dieting and the acceptance of diversity. The Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research (WACHPR) evaluated teacher satisfaction with and use of the Body Image Project (BIP) educational manual and teacher training, student acceptance of BIP activities, and parent satisfaction with BIP home-based activities.

As part of the first Body Image Project (BIP) the Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research (WACHPR) found that little consensus amongst researchers in this area existed as to what key outcome variables to measure body image in children should be used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. A review of the literature revealed 21 different key outcome variables used in previous research in Australia the UK and USA. The aim of this second project was to determine using expert validation which of the variables experienced researchers in this area believe are the most important and how they should most reliably and validly be measured. As part of this process, WACHPR recruited nine national and international body image researchers as members of the Delphi expert panel to determine the most appropriate variables and instrumentation to measure body image in children could be reached. Following four rounds of the Delphi Process the experts agreed on five key variables and seven previously validated and reliable psychometric instruments to measure these. Nine Perth metropolitan government schools were recruited to pilot test the reliability of these evaluation instruments among Western Australian children.

Key Outcomes

Body Image Project 1 showed that the initial school- and home-based Body Image intervention was well liked by teachers but had limited effectiveness in enhancing the Body Image of Year 6 students. The second project successfully identified and tested key outcome variables and instruments to measure these.

Uniqueness of Research and Overall Significance in Australia / Internationally

The first Body Image Pilot Project has added to the body of knowledge on how to develop an effective, comprehensive, whole school approach, aimed at reducing the level of poor body image and dieting. Project 2 identified an expert consensus-based and usable definition of ‘body image’ as well as some consensus on the primary impact and outcome evaluation variables and instrumentation to assess body image programs that target primary school children and their parents. The project also provided an improved understanding of whole-of-school body image program planning, dissemination, implementation and evaluation from primary school-aged children

Funding

• Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care
• Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation (Healthway)

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