Efficacy of body appreciation training on body image concerns in overweight adolescents

Abstract

Body image concern is one of the important issues in the field of overweight and the factors of failure in losing weight which is necessary to undergo intervention to increase the efficiency of sports and nutrition programs. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of body appreciation training on body image concerns in overweight adolescents. It was a semi-experimental method with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group). The research community consisted of overweight girl adolescents who were referred to weight control and weight loss centers in Isfahan City in 2021. From the mentioned society, 30 adolescents were selected by targeted sampling method and assigned to two groups of 15 people, experiment and control. The experimental group received 9 sessions of 90-min body appreciation training. The control group was on the waiting list during this time. The research tool was the body image concern questionnaire of Littleton et al. (2005). Data analysis was done using SPSS-24 software and the covariance analysis method. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the two groups in the variable of concerns related to body image (P < 0.001); Also, the results showed that there is a significant difference between the two groups in the variables of dissatisfaction with appearance and interference in social functioning (P < 0.001). In this way, based on the results of this research, body appreciation training can be used to reduce concerns related to body image in overweight adolescents.