A study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Girls in Motion® program in improving body satisfaction in preadolescent girls

The current study evaluated the effectiveness of the Girls in Motion ® program by comparing body satisfaction pre-and posttest scores of the preadolescent participants. In addition, the study examined the differences in pre-and post body satisfaction scores by ethnicity and grade. In the past, many eating disorder prevention programs have been found to be unsuccessful (Cororve-Fingeret, Warren, Cepeda-Benito, & Gleaves, 2006). Much discussion and focus recently has been towards "universal prevention" programs that not only provide protective factors such as self-esteem building and education about media influences but also prevent risk factors such as unhealthy dieting practices and body dissatisfaction (Massey-Stokes, 2008; Neumark-Steiner et al., 2006; Scime et al., 2006). Results of this study showed a significant decrease in the drive for thinness changes scores, the female body dissatisfaction change scores and the male body dissatisfaction change scores, indicating that scores for all three subscales decreased from pre to posttest. In addition, the overall model predicting a change in drive for thinness scores from location, grade level, and ethnicity was significant. African-American girls when compared to Hispanic girls, had significant reductions in their drive for thinness scores (pre- to post test). Girls who were in the fourth grade, compared to girls in the fifth grade, had significant reductions in their female and male body dissatisfaction scores (from pre- to post test). As a result of these findings, recommendations for follow up research were suggested. In addition, recommendations were provided to increase the effectiveness of primary prevention body image programs for preadolescent girls.