Implementation factors that predict larger effects from a peer educator delivered eating disorder prevention program at universities.

Abstract

Objective: Identify implementation factors, including intervention, facilitator, participant, and college factors, that were associated with larger reductions in eating disorder symptoms for undergraduates who completed a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program delivered by peer educators in an implementation support trial. The goal was to determine how to maximize the effects of this prevention program in future implementation efforts. Method: We recruited 63 universities with peer educator programs and randomly assigned them to three levels of implementation support for delivery of an evidence-based eating disorder prevention program (the Body Project). The present report investigated whether several intervention, facilitator, participant, and college characteristics were associated with the magnitude of reductions in eating disorder symptoms among 1,387 undergraduates who completed the Body Project. Results: Significantly greater reductions in eating disorder symptoms were found for the four-session versus two-session version of the Body Project (d = −.36), when Body Project groups were delivered virtually versus in-person (d = −.22), when observation-based supervision was provided to peer educators during intervention implementation versus when it was not (d = −.15), and for larger versus smaller universities (d = −.24). Although effects were small, the additive effect was medium (d = −.50). Conclusions: Results suggest that if the goal is to optimize the effects of the Body Project, peer educator programs at universities should implement the full four-session version of the prevention program that contains all of the dissonance-inducing activities and home exercises, implement this prevention program virtually, and provide supervision to facilitators implementing this prevention program.

Cultural adaptation of an integrated eating disorders prevention and healthy weight management program

“…These recommendations are supported by the results of a meta-analysis of Body Project trials, which indicated that both training and supervision of facilitators, regardless of their experience level (e.g., clinicians or peers), were among the strongest predictors of outcomes [ 51 ]. Similar findings regarding the importance of supervision were reported in a recent investigation of factors affecting the effectiveness of peer-led Body Project groups [ 53 ].…”

Cultural Adaptation of an Integrated Eating Disorders Prevention and Healthy Weight Management Program

“…These recommendations are supported by the results of a meta-analysis of Body Project trials, which indicated that both training and supervision of facilitators, regardless of their experience level (e.g., clinicians or peers), were among the strongest predictors of outcomes (Stice et al, 2019). Similar ndings regarding the importance of supervision were reported in a recent investigation of factors affecting the effectiveness of peer-led Body Project groups (Stice et al, 2023).…”