Effect of an intervention on self-esteem, body image satisfaction, and eating disorders in adolescents

Abstract

Background: In the area of adolescent health, there is growing evidence that effective health promotion interventions among adolescents, providing skills and knowledge, may have direct effects on a range of health outcomes. Thus, the study aimed to assess the effect of mixed-method intervention on self-esteem, body image satisfaction, eating disorders among adolescent school students. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among high school students in a metropolitan city. At baseline, self-esteem, perception of body image, and pressure by media of participants were assessed using validated self-reported measures. The mixed-method intervention was a body image enhancement program conducted over 6 weeks through six 45–60 min sessions. Postintervention, participants' scores in the above-mentioned domains were assessed using the same self-reported measures. Data analysis was done using SPSS 23.0, and Fisher's exact test, paired t-test, etc., were applied as appropriate. Results: Out of 60 participants, 47% were girls and 53% were boys. Baseline self-esteem scores of girls were lower as compared to boys and were significantly higher in both postintervention. Body image satisfaction among girls improved from 53.57% to 78.57% after intervention. At baseline, higher proportion of girls had likelihood of developing an eating disorder which reduced postintervention. Conclusions: The school-based mixed-method intervention was effective in improving self-esteem, body image satisfaction, and reducing the influence of sociocultural attitudes on appearance in adolescent students.