Strong Minds: A Digital Intervention Targeting Body Image and Psychological Well-being Among Adolescent Male Fitness Club Members

NCT07789405 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: Strong Minds#SDAM_FOR999270
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 260
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether a digital intervention can improve body image and psychological well-being among adolescent boys who attend fitness clubs. Fitness club environments and social media often promote appearance ideals related to muscularity and leanness, which may contribute to body appearance pressure, body dissatisfaction, and psychological distress among boys. In this cluster-randomized controlled trial, approximately 260 boys aged 15 to 18 years will be recruited from fitness clubs in Oslo, Norway. Participants from fitness clubs assigned to the intervention group will receive access to a 12-week website-based program consisting of four interactive modules focusing on body image, psychological well-being, critical social media literacy, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements. Participants in the control group will continue their usual activities. The study will examine whether the intervention reduces internalization of appearance ideals and body appearance pressure and improves body appreciation, health-related quality of life, psychological well-being, social media-related behaviors, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at a 6-month follow-up.

Conditions

Healthy Young Adults; Body Image; Psychological Well-being; Body Dissatisfaction; Social Media

Keywords

Adolescent Boys; Fitness Clubs; Body Image; Body Appreciation; Body Image Pressure; Social Media Literacy; Psychological Well-Being; Digital Intervention; Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Internalization

  Internalization of appearance ideals (Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 \[SATAQ-4\]). This outcome assesses the extent to which participants adopt societal appearance ideals related to muscularity, leanness, and low body fat as personal standards for evaluating their own appearance. Internalization is measured using the relevant SATAQ-4 subscales. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (definitely disagree) to 5 (definitely agree), with higher scores indicating greater internalization of societal appearance ideals. The outcome will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

  Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

• Body appearance pressure

  Body appearance pressure measured using the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 Revised (SATAQ-4R). Scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater perceived appearance-related pressure from media and sociocultural influences.

  Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Body appreciation

  Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

• Social Media use

  Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

• General health-related quality of life.

  Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

• Psychological distress

  Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

• Food-related attitudes.

  Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

Study Arms (2)

Digital intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the intervention arm will receive access to a website, a 12-week digital intervention designed to promote positive body image and psychological well-being among adolescent male fitness club members. The intervention consists of four interactive modules released every three weeks and addresses body image, psychological well-being, critical social media literacy, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements. Modules include brief narrative-based content, quizzes, personalized feedback, and reflection exercises. Total engagement time is approximately 75 minutes across the 12-week intervention period.

Other: Website

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants assigned to the control condition will continue their regular exercise and daily activities without receiving the Strong Minds intervention during the 12-week trial period. Outcome assessments will be conducted at the same time points as in the intervention group (baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up). Access to the digital intervention will be provided after completion of the randomized controlled trial.

Interventions

Website OTHER

Participants assigned to the intervention arm will receive access to the Strong Minds website, a 12-week digital intervention designed to promote positive body image and psychological well-being among adolescent male fitness club members. The intervention consists of four interactive modules released every three weeks and addresses body image, psychological well-being, critical social media literacy, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements. Modules include brief narrative-based content, quizzes, personalized feedback, and reflection exercises. Total engagement time is approximately 75 minutes across the 12-week intervention period.

Digital intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 18 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: This study is open to cisgender boys. Participants must identify as male and have been assigned male sex at birth.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Cisgender boy
• Aged 15 to 18 years
• Current member of a fitness club
• Attends the fitness club at least once per week
• Able to read and understand Norwegian
• Provides informed consent (parental/guardian consent required for participants younger than 16 years)

You may not qualify if:

• Not able to provide informed consent
• Previously enrolled in the study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Norwegian School of Sport Sciences: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: This is an open-label cluster-randomized controlled trial. Participants, investigators, and fitness club staff will be aware of group allocation because participants assigned to the intervention group will receive access to a website-based intervention, while participants in the control group will continue their usual activities. Outcomes will be collected through self-reported online questionnaires and analyzed according to the pre-specified statistical analysis plan.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 18, 2026
• First Posted: August 27, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): January 1, 2028
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028
• Last Updated: August 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP
• Time Frame: Beginning 6 months after publication of the primary study results with no predefined end date.
• Access Criteria: Access to de-identified individual participant data will be provided to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Researchers must submit a methodologically sound research proposal and may be required to sign a data access agreement. Requests will be reviewed by the study investigators to ensure compliance with ethical approvals, applicable data protection regulations, and institutional policies. Data will be shared only for research purposes consistent with the objectives of the original study.