title: Feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of a school-based prevention programme for eating disorders: cluster randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Body image dissatisfaction during adolescence is common but not benign. School-based interventions have the potential for wide reach, but scalability of previous programmes is limited by a reliance on external facilitators.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the acceptability, feasibility and efficacy of a teacher-delivered body image intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pilot clustered randomised controlled trial in which 16 classes of adolescent girls were allocated to a 6-session body image programme (n = 261), or usual curriculum control (n = 187) (registration: ISRCTN42594993).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students in the intervention group had significantly improved body esteem and self-esteem and reduced thin-ideal internalisation. Effects for body esteem and thin-ideal internalisation were maintained for 3 months. There were no group differences for eating pathology, peer factors or depression. Acceptability, feasibility and efficacy varied between schools.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teacher-delivered body image lessons have promise but further work is needed to increase efficacy and make interventions suitable across a range of schools.
authors.affiliation: Helen Sharpe, PhD, Ilka Schober, Dipl-Psych, Janet Treasure, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPsych, Ulrike Schmidt, MD, PhD, FRCPsych, Section of Eating Disorders, Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.forename: Ilka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schober
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Treasure
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005178:Faculty; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012572:School Health Services; D012574:Schools; D012649:Self Concept; D013334:Students; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom