An App to Reduce Social Media's Impact on Body Image and Eating Disorders

NCT06910410 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: BODYSCREEN
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Social media (SM) is a key communication tool, particularly for young women aged 15-29. While SM fosters social connections, it is also linked to negative effects on mental health, including poor body image, low self-esteem, and maladaptive perfectionism. These issues arise due to social comparison with idealized images, especially on platforms like Instagram, which can contribute to disordered eating behaviours. Research suggests that reducing SM use can improve mental well-being, body image, and eating disorder symptoms. However, current interventions have not simultaneously addressed both reducing SM exposure and strengthening protective psychological factors. To address this gap, the proposed study aims to pilot BodyScreen, an intervention app designed to limit SM exposure while enhancing self-esteem and reducing perfectionism in young women at high risk for eating disorders. The study hypothesizes that BodyScreen will be feasible, acceptable, and effective in improving body image, self-esteem, and SM use, with sustained benefits at a 3-month follow-up. The intervention includes a virtual face-to-face session, mid-intervention email support, and a four-week app-based program using Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMIs). Participants will receive reminders to complete exercises designed to improve self-perception and reduce the negative effects of SM. Additionally, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) will track real-time self-esteem, perfectionism, and body image, while mobile sensing will monitor SM use to tailor interactive exercises accordingly. By integrating exposure reduction with psychological strengthening, BodyScreen aims to provide a novel, evidence-based approach to mitigating the harmful effects of SM on young women's mental health.

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa; Bulimia; Body Dissatisfaction; Self-esteem; Perfectionism; Disordered Eating Behaviors

Keywords

self-esteem; perfectionism; disordered eating; youth mental health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Number of participants who show a reduced score on the Eating Disorder Risk Composite subscales from the Eating Disorder Inventory-3.

  The proposed study's primary outcomes will be body image and eating disorder symptomology, which will be assessed with the Eating Disorder Risk Composite (EDRC) subscales from the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), drive for thinness scale, bulimia scale, and body dissatisfaction scale. Each of the three subscales has a raw score range of 0 to 24. The minimum EDRC score a participant can obtain is 0, which would indicate no eating disorder risk. The maximum EDRC score a participant can obtain is 72, where they score 24 on all three EDRC subscales. Those who score higher on the EDRC are at higher risk for eating disorders; higher scores are worse outcomes, and lower scores are better outcomes.

  From enrollment to three months after completion of the study.

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Number of participants who show an increased score on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

  From enrollment to three months after sudy completion.

• Number of participants who show a lowered score on the Big Three Perfectionism Scale

  From enrollment to three months after sudy completion.

Study Arms (1)

BodyScreen App Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

All participants will receive the BodyScreen app intervention. Participants will complete daily self-esteem exercises such as reflection, affirmations, challenging negative self-talk, perfectionism and low body-image.

Behavioral: BodyScreen App

Interventions

BodyScreen App BEHAVIORAL

The BodyScreen App uses behavioural interventions along with haptic interruptions in social media app usage. The app will engage participants by sending them notifications, reminders, and activities to complete throughout the day and the week.

BodyScreen App Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 29 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Women aged 15-29 years old
• Ability to provide informed consent
• Access to a smartphone (iOS or Android)
• A score greater than 47 on the Eating Disorder Risk Composite (EDRC) from the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3) is considered to be at high risk for an eating disorder and therefore makes a participant eligible for this study.
• Use of social media (SM) for appearance-related reasons.

You may not qualify if:

• A concurrent treatment for self-esteem, perfectionism, body image, or disordered eating, as it may interfere with the intervention under investigation and will make it difficult to attribute any symptom changes to either treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Dalhousie University: lead
• IWK Health Centre: collaborator

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa; Bulimia; Disordered Eating Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding and Eating Disorders; Mental Disorders; Hyperphagia; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Sandra M Meier, PhD

CONTACT

902-470-7720; sandra.meier@iwk.nshealth.ca

Louise P Mason, BSc

CONTACT

902-209-6126; louise.mason@dal.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2025
• First Posted: April 4, 2025
• Study Start: July 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2027
• Last Updated: April 4, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share