An Examination of a Cognitive Dissonance Body Image and Health Intervention for the College Classroom

Abstract

Creating a positive college environment regarding body image concerns is warranted given their strong association with eating disorders (EDs) and the alarming rates of EDs on college campuses. There is also a growing need to universally diversify ED prevention programs and enhance selective prevention recruitment initiatives. This study included 132 undergraduate students in a universal and mixed-gendered setting (i.e., classrooms). Participants in the intervention condition received a single session of an adapted cognitive dissonance-based intervention aimed at reducing ED risk factors. The control condition included participants who received a general classroom lecture. Women and men in the two conditions were compared at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up timepoints on appearance-ideal internalization (thin-ideal and muscular-ideal), body image satisfaction, and behavioral intention to enroll in a selective ED prevention program, known as The Body Project (BP). Using mixed-effects modeling, results showed that women in the intervention condition significantly lowered muscular-ideal internalization scores at follow-up when compared to the control condition. There were no significant differences across all other variables, which suggests that the single session universal intervention was not effective in reducing body image dissatisfaction or triaging participants into The BP. Implications include further exploration of muscular-ideal internalization in ED development for women and the examination of other underlying dimensions of body image, such as internalized weight stigma and body functionality. Mixed-gendered settings might also benefit from cultivating conversations regarding the social injustices of beauty standards. These adjustments may help enhance the levels of cognitive dissonance experienced by participants.