The Virtual-Body Project Reduces Eating Disorder Symptoms Among Young Adult Brazilian Women: A Pilot Study

TL;DR

A virtual eating disorder prevention program called v-Body Project significantly reduced symptoms in Brazilian women and maintained effects for six months.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a virtual dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program in a Brazilian population.

Findings

The v-Body Project showed large effect sizes in reducing eating disorder symptoms and body dissatisfaction.

Improvements in outcomes were maintained for up to six months after the intervention.

The program offers a low-cost, scalable solution for eating disorder prevention.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Dissonance-based (DB) eating disorder (ED) prevention programs have been showing their efficacy in reducing ED symptoms among adolescents, young adults, and older people. Several meta-analyses showed that the Body Project is the most effective ED prevention program for at-risk women; however, the program presents high costs when delivered in-person and recruitment on a large scale is limited, suggesting the evaluation of its efficacy when delivered virtually. Thus, we investigated the efficacy of the v-Body Project (i.e., a virtual DB ED prevention program) among young adult Brazilian women. Methods: A pilot study delivered the v-Body Project to 85 Brazilian women (Mage = 22.55, SD = 2.07, age range = 18–25). Measures of ED symptoms, body dissatisfaction, the thin ideal internalization, negative affect, self-esteem, and body appreciation were applied at baseline, post-intervention, and at 1-month and 6-months follow-up. Results: Results demonstrated improvements in all outcomes at post-intervention. Large effect sizes were found for ED symptoms, body dissatisfaction, thin–ideal internalization, negative affect, and body appreciation (Cohen’s d = 0.74–1.31) and were maintained up to 6-months. A small effect size was identified for self-esteem (Cohen’s d = 0.40), while the efficacy was maintained up to 6-months. Conclusions: Results support the efficacy of the v-Body Project up to 6-months, providing a tool with lower costs for participants and the advantage of large-scale application for ED prevention programs. Strategies are needed to implement this protocol within the Brazilian public health system, including the training of facilitators and the broader dissemination of the intervention.