Acceptability and Feasibility of a Single-Session Online Parent-Focused Intervention Targeting Child Body Image Development

NCT07179068 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: PrBI124324-0041UA
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Body image concerns have been linked to diverse mental health issues, including depression and disordered eating. Disordered eating can develop into clinically significant eating disorders, which are associated with serious negative impacts on psychological and physical well-being, and can adversely impact developmental trajectories in children and adolescents. Given limitations in the eating disorder intervention literature, it is important to invest in effective eating disorder prevention programs. Evidence suggests that children can recognize the existence of societal appearance ideals as early as age 3; thus, this study examines the acceptability and feasibility of a single-session, online, parent-focused intervention targeting predictors of body image disturbance in young children.

Conditions

Eating Disorders; Body Image Disturbance; Weight Bias

Keywords

Eating Disorder Prevention; Restriction; Loss of Control Eating; Body Image; Single Session Intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Acceptability

  Acceptability will be examined via questions about intervention credibility and expectancy to be completed by workshop participants post-intervention, adapted from the well-establish Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire (e.g., "At this point, how logical does the intervention seem to you?" "At this point, how successful do you think this information will be in reducing your concerns about your child's eating patterns?").

  Directly after completion of the intervention.

• Recruitment

  Feasibility includes recruitment and retention rates and measurement burden. First, feasibility will be defined as successful recruitment of 50 moms and 50 dads.

  1 year after study recruitment begins.

• Retention

  Feasibility includes recruitment and retention rates and measurement burden. Second, feasibility will be defined as retention of 85 % of participants through the entire intervention.

  At the end of data collection, an average of one year after recruitment begins.

• Missingness

  In addition, minimal missing data as well as survey items completed will be looked at as measures of feasibility. Less than 5 % of missing data will be required for the study to be considered feasible.

  At the end of data collection, an average of one year after recruitment begins.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Initial Efficacy

  Directly following completion of the intervention.

Study Arms (2)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

In phase 2, 50 participants will be randomized to complete the entire intervention; the intervention/workshop will consist of four modules: Body Image Development/Body Talk, Food Talk, Picky Eating and Mealtime Conversations, and Media Usage and Social Comparison. Each module will be approximately 10 minutes. After parents complete all four modules, they will complete measures of acceptability and feasibility, including reporting which module they found most useful. They will also complete knowledge checks.

Behavioral: Child Body Image Development Workshop

Control

NO INTERVENTION

In Phase 2, 50 parents will be randomized into the control group. This group will receive no intervention. They will only complete the knowledge checks. These knowledge checks will be the same checks completed by the intervention group.

Interventions

Child Body Image Development Workshop BEHAVIORAL

This is an online, single-session, modular intervention for parents of children that are two-to-six years old. It is designed to target and improve child body image development by providing psychoeducation and interactive activities to parents in each of the four modules. Modules include Body Image Development/Body Talk, Food Talk, Picky Eating and Mealtime Conversations, and Media Usage and Social Comparison. These modules were designed using the results of our previously completed Needs Assessment, as well as the current evidence-base regarding risk factors for the development of body image in young children.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: Investigators will recruit an equal number of mothers and fathers. In Phase 1, investigators will recruit 12 mothers and 12 fathers. In Phase 2, investigators will recruit 50 mothers and 50 fathers.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University at Albany: lead

Study Sites (1)

Prolific Online Survey Platform

Albany, New York, 12222, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Feeding and Eating Disorders; Weight Prejudice

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Prejudice; Social Behavior; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Anna A Love, M.A.

CONTACT

5184424911; aatchison@albany.edu

Julia M Hormes, Ph.D.

CONTACT

518-442-4911; jhormes@albany.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: For the initial phase of the study, investigators will randomize 24 participants to one of the four modules in the study and receive detailed qualitative feedback from those participants (6 assigned to each module; 3 mothers and 3 fathers). For the second phase of the study (the randomized controlled trial portion of the project), which assesses acceptability, feasibility, and initial efficacy, investigators will randomize 100 parents to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group will view the entire intervention (all 4 modules) and complete knowledge checks at the end of the intervention. The control group will only complete the knowledge checks. Investigators will compare performance on the knowledge checks in the treatment and control groups as a measure of initial efficacy.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 26, 2025
• First Posted: September 17, 2025
• Study Start: November 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: January 1, 2026
• Study Completion: January 1, 2026
• Last Updated: December 18, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)