Body image dissatisfaction intervention program based on a three-factor model of appearance comparison, appearance comments, and social media among Chinese children

Abstract

Body image dissatisfaction is common among children and can lead to adverse health outcomes, however, the intervention programs on children’s body image dissatisfaction have rarely been reported in China. This study focused on risk factors of body image dissatisfaction, such as appearance comparison, appearance comments, and social media, in order to develop intervention program for children. Based on the pathogenesis theory of diseases, effective control of risk factors of body image dissatisfaction can inhibit occurrence of body image dissatisfaction. Therefore, this study developed the intervention program targeting the risk factors of body image dissatisfaction in children, including four dimensions of positively understanding body image dissatisfaction, positively facing appearance comparison, positively responding to appearance comments, and positively responding to social media, and each dimension with a three-grade indicators. A total of 12 experts conducted two rounds of evaluation on this intervention program. The coefficient of reliability (Cr) of the experts was 0.84. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (Kendall’s W) for importance and feasibility was 0.12 and 0.15, respectively (P < 0.05), and the coefficient of variation (CV) for importance and feasibility was 0.00–0.14 and 0.00-0.24, respectively. The importance scores of “Positively understanding body image dissatisfaction”, “Positively facing appearance comparison”, “Positively responding to appearance comments”, and “Positively responding to social media” were 5,00, 5.00, 4.73, 4.82, and their feasibility scores were 5.00, 4.82, 4.55, 4.55, respectively. The current body image dissatisfaction intervention program can identify and mitigate the negative effects of body image dissatisfaction in children aged 8 to 12, assist children develop a positive body image, and prevent the further development of mental health issues such as eating disorders and depression.