Effect of an education and mindfulness-based physical activity intervention for the promotion of positive body image in Lithuanian female students

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of an 8-week classroom education and mindfulness-based physical activity intervention for the promotion of positive body image in female students.MethodsA quasi-experimental study was carried out with 110 Lithuanian female students (mean age 21.5 ± 3.5, range 19–35 years). Thirty students voluntarily participated in the intervention programme and 80 students volunteered in the assessment-only control group. The intervention comprised five cognitive behavioural therapy classroom education sessions and mindfulness-based exercise (one exercise workout per week). The intervention group was evaluated with a pre-test and post-test and the control group completed measures at parallel times.ResultsCompared with the control group participants, the intervention group participants reported greater improvements in positive body image and a reduction in body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness and internalisation of stereotyped beauty ideals, with medium to large effects. There were significant time × group interactions for pre-test to post-test changes in internalisation of beauty ideals, body area satisfaction, body dissatisfaction and body appreciation. In all cases, the interaction reflected greater pre-test to post-test changes in the intervention group compared with the control group, whose scores remained stable. A decrease in appearance orientation, overweight preoccupation, disordered eating and physical activity was observed in the control group, but the effect sizes were low.ConclusionThe preliminary findings of this study support the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy methods and mindfulness-based exercise intervention aimed to promote positive body image in student-aged women. Future studies should test the efficacy of the introduced programme in larger randomised samples of young women.Level IVEvidence obtained from multiple time series with or without an intervention.