Effectiveness of Virtually Delivered Body Project (vBP) Groups to Prevent Eating Disorders

What is it about?

Scalable prevention of eating disorders (ED) should be a public health priority given the serious negative outcomes of ED, low number of patients receiving treatment and modest to moderate treatment effects. In this study, the authors investigated whether a prevention program called Body Project can decrease the risk of future onset of ED (incidence of ED) among young females (15-20 years) with a subjective sense of body dissatisfaction. The Body Project (1 hour /week for 4 weeks) was delivered in small virtual groups (meeting through Internet connection). It was compared to a placebo, and a wait-list control group in a randomized controlled study. Participants were followed up for 24 months. The incidence of ED in the virtual Body Project was 77% less than in the placebo group, which is the largest reduction in future ED onset ever produced by a prevention program. The virtual Body Project may be an efficient program for preventing ED.

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Why is it important?

Virtual groups make it more convenient for the participants to attend the sessions, and provide a format for large-scale interventions to make a difference on public health level of young females at risk of future onset of ED.