SOMEBODY, a Social Media-based Eating Disorder Prevention Program

An Open Trial Pilot Study of SOMEBODY, a Social Media-based Eating Disorder Prevention Program for College Women

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evidence of potential efficacy of a social-media based intervention to reduce risk factors for eating disorders in college women.

Previous research supports an association between specific aspects of social media use and increased eating pathology in correlational designs and that specific aspects of social media use cause increases in risk factors for eating disorders. The aim of the current project is to determine whether social media use can be altered to cause decreases in eating disorder risk factors. To accomplish this, college women will be recruited to participate in an open trial of a pilot program that adapts activities used within evidence-based eating disorder prevention programs to be used on social media platforms. The intervention is designed to target internalization of the thin ideal.

All participants will be recruited to participate in the SOcial MEdia (SOME) adaptation of activities from the BODY Project (SOMEBODY).

Participants will receive daily activities to complete on their most frequently used social media platform for 14 consecutive days. Daily activities have been adapted from the Body Project - an intervention that has been demonstrated to reduce internalization of the thin ideal and reduce risk for eating disorders. Examples of activities to be piloted include unfollowing social media accounts the participant perceives as reinforcing the thin-ideal and posting a selfie without makeup or editing. Based on feedback from participants, the intervention may be altered to improve acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary evidence of potential efficacy.

Acceptability will be evaluated with 7-point Likert scale ratings, with a score ≥5 indicating that participants found the intervention acceptable

Feasibility will be evaluated as the percentage of consented and enrolled participants who complete ≥10 of the 14 days of the intervention, with ≥80% indicating feasibility

The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire - 4 Revised (SATAQ-4R) Internalization Subscales will be used to measure internationalization of the thin ideal before and after the intervention. An effect size of d=.50 for within subject change in score will establish preliminary evidence of potential efficacy

The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire Weight and Shape Concerns subscales adapted for the past 7 days will be used to measure change in body image before and after the intervention

The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire Dietary Restraint subscale adapted for the past 7 days will be used to measure change in dietary restraint before and after the intervention

The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire Self-Reported Bulimic Symptom Composite Score adapted for the past 7 days will be used to measure change in bulimic symptom frequency before and after the intervention

The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire Global Score adapted for the past 7 days will be used to measure change in disordered eating before and after the intervention

The Social Media Use Questionnaire items assessing frequency and type of engagement with social media will be used to measure change in social media use before and after the intervention

The Social Media Use Questionnaire items assessing adherence to daily social media activities will be used to measure self-reported adherence after the intervention

With participant consent, a research assistant will follow the social media account the participant plans to use for the SOMEBODY intervention and will complete a checklist on a daily basis (yes/no) on whether or not the participant completed the daily assignment

Inclusion Criteria: female 18 to 25 years old score in the top 50th percentile for time spent on social media each day Exclusion Criteria: male <18 years or >25 years old individuals who screen positive for a Diagnostic Statistical Manual-5 eating disorder on the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale