A group of schoolchildren in Minneapolis recently help develop, write, produce and perform a play about eating disorders and body image. The 18 children volunteered one day a week for ten weeks to create the play, which was performed in front of parents, teachers, and friends.

"After the final performance, [Jess] Haines and her colleagues interviewed 15 of the participating children in three focus groups of five... A key feature of the intervention was that it appeared to engage the children and they reported finding it particularly relevant to their lives. This echoes other health research showing that involving participants in the development and delivery of an intervention leads to it being more relevant and culturally sensitive to its intended audience."

Haines and her colleagues also found that many of the children reported improvement in their own body image and ability to withstand derogatory remarks. Source: BPS Research Digest.

Labels: intervention, support, treatment