Effect of an education and mindfulness‑based physical activity intervention for the promotion of positive body image in Lithuanian female students
ENPurpose: The aim of this study was to test the efectiveness of an 8-week classroom education and mindfulness-based physical activity intervention for the promotion of positive body image in female students. Methods: A 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 fve 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. Results: Compared 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 efects. There were signifcant time X 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 refected 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 efect sizes were low. Conclusion: The preliminary fndings of this study support the efcacy of cognitive behavioural therapy methods and mind fulness-based exercise intervention aimed to promote positive body image in student-aged women. Future studies should test the efcacy of the introduced programme in larger randomised samples of young women. Level IV Evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without an intervention.Keywords: positive body image, mindful exercise, intuitive eating, positive embodiment, body functionality, intervention. [From the publication]
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