Imagery versus captions: The effect of body positive Instagram content on young women's mood and body image.

Body positive social media content aims to positively impact young women's body image and mood by challenging traditionally narrow beauty ideals. This online experiment investigated the effect of viewing body positive Instagram posts on young women's body image and mood, whilst focusing on understanding the impact of the images and captions in the posts. Overall, 195 young women (18-30 years old) were randomly assigned to view either body positive (consisting of images and captions), body positive captions only, body positive images only, or thin-ideal Instagram posts. Positive mood increased in all conditions pre to post exposure. Further, body satisfaction and negative mood improved pre-post exposure for all body positive conditions. However, when controlling for trait body appreciation significant effects only remained for the combined image and caption body positive condition. There were no significant differences in positive mood, state body appreciation, self-objectification, or broad conceptualisations of beauty between the three body positive exposure conditions. Therefore, to improve body satisfaction and mood, body positive content should include a combination of images and captions.

#bodypositivity: A content analysis of body positive accounts on Instagram.

In the last decade, the body image literature has begun to extend beyond a primary focus on body image disturbances and examine the construct of positive body image. Similarly, "Body positivity" is a growing social media trend that seeks to challenge dominant societal appearance ideals and promote acceptance and appreciation of all bodies and appearances. The present study provides a content analysis of body positive posts on Instagram. A set of 640 Instagram posts sampled from popular body positive accounts were coded for physical appearance-related attributes and central themes featured. Results showed that body positive imagery typically depicted a broad range of body sizes and appearances. Additionally, while a proportion of posts were appearance-focused, the majority of posts conveyed messages aligned with theoretical definitions of positive body image. This study clarifies body positive content on Instagram, as well as highlights points of overlap and distinction from academic principles of positive body image and other appearance-focused social media content. Accordingly, the results offer theoretical and practical implications for future research and prevention efforts.

Evaluating the impact of a brief yoga intervention on preadolescents' body image and mood.

Yoga is an embodying activity that promotes body awareness, body connection, body responsiveness, and appreciation of body functionality, and it therefore may be a beneficial school-based intervention for children's body image. The present study examined the impact of a 4-week yoga intervention on pre-adolescent girls' and boys' body image (body appreciation, body esteem, and body surveillance) and mood (positive and negative affect) 1-week post-intervention and at 6-week follow-up. British children (N = 344; 54.4% female) aged 9-11 years were recruited from four schools, two of which were randomly assigned to the yoga intervention and two to a physical education control condition. Overall, girls reported greater body image concern and negative mood than boys. Unexpectedly, both groups reported increased body appreciation, body esteem, and positive mood, and decreased body surveillance and negative affect from baseline to post-intervention and/or follow-up. Both girls and boys in the yoga intervention evaluated the sessions very favourably; the majority desired to participate in more lessons. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed.

Promoting positive body image and tackling overweight/obesity in children and adolescents: A combined health psychology and public health approach.

This article draws attention to the dual global problems of disordered eating and overweight/obesity among children and adolescents. It is well recognised that the main risk factor for disordered eating is body dissatisfaction, yet public health messages to tackle overweight/obesity are likely to increase body dissatisfaction. This tension between key public health messages and a health psychology approach is examined, with the goal of seeking a common way forward. We focus on the UK as a case study, where there is currently no statutory education in schools on body image. Since more prescriptive guidance on the curriculum covering personal/social/health issues is soon to be introduced, it is timely to consider the content, and in particular its impact on body image as well as overweight/obesity. Having reviewed current interventions and policy, we argue for a more holistic approach to the obesity problem, using a whole school approach to create a body confident culture.

Disclaimer labels on fashion magazine advertisements: Does timing of digital alteration information matter?

The study aimed to investigate whether a message informing readers about digital alteration read before exposure to thin ideal advertisements would enhance the effectiveness of disclaimer labels. Participants were 280 female undergraduate students who viewed eleven thin ideal fashion magazine advertisements. Half viewed the advertisements in their original format, and half viewed the same advertisements with a digital alteration disclaimer label. Prior to viewing the advertisements, participants read either a brief message informing them that advertisements are commonly digitally altered, or a control message. Irrespective of experimental condition, exposure to the thin ideal advertisements led to increased body dissatisfaction, with social comparison predicting this increase. Neither the disclaimer label nor the pre-exposure message, nor their combination, led to reductions in perceived realism, social comparison, or body dissatisfaction. However, trait appearance comparison moderated the effect of pre-exposure message on perceived realism, such that women high on trait appearance comparison in the digital alteration pre-exposure message condition rated the models as relatively more realistic than did women low on this trait. It was concluded that more research is needed to identify brief and easy-to-implement universal prevention strategies that can reduce the negative effects of thin ideal media imagery on women's body image.

Disclaimer labels on fashion magazine advertisements: Impact on visual attention and relationship with body dissatisfaction.

Globally there is increasing advocacy for the implementation of laws requiring disclaimer labels to be attached to media images that have been digitally altered, with the goal of reducing the known negative effects of exposure to unrealistic thin ideal imagery for women. The current study used eye tracking technology to establish how digital alteration disclaimer labels affect women's visual attention to fashion magazine advertisements, and the interrelationship with body dissatisfaction and state appearance comparison. Participants were 120 female undergraduate students who viewed four thin ideal advertisements with either no disclaimer, a generic disclaimer, or a more detailed specific disclaimer. It was found that women did attend to the disclaimers. Specifically worded disclaimers directed visual attention towards target body areas, which resulted in increased body dissatisfaction, while state appearance comparison predicted increased body dissatisfaction. Further research is imperative to provide guidance on the most effective use of disclaimer labels.

A randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavior therapy plus bright light therapy for adolescent delayed sleep phase disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cognitive-behavior therapy plus bright light therapy (CBT plus BLT) for adolescents diagnosed with delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD). DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial of CBT plus BLT vs. waitlist (WL) control with comparisons at pre- and post-treatment. There was 6-month follow-up for the CBT plus BLT group only. SETTING: Flinders University Child & Adolescent Sleep Clinic, Adelaide, South Australia. PATIENTS: 49 adolescents (mean age 14.6 ± 1.0 y, 53% males) diagnosed with DSPD; mean chronicity 4 y 8 months; 16% not attending school. Eighteen percent of adolescents dropped out of the study (CBT plus BLT: N = 23 vs. WL: N = 17). INTERVENTIONS: CBT plus BLT consisted of 6 individual sessions, including morning bright light therapy to advance adolescents' circadian rhythms, and cognitive restructuring and sleep education to target associated insomnia and sleep hygiene. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: DSPD diagnosis was performed via a clinical interview and 7-day sleep diary. Measurements at each time-point included online sleep diaries and scales measuring sleepiness, fatigue, and depression symptoms. Compared to WL, moderate-to-large improvements (d = 0.65-1.24) were found at post-treatment for CBT plus BLT adolescents, including reduced sleep latency, earlier sleep onset and rise times, total sleep time (school nights), wake after sleep onset, sleepiness, and fatigue. At 6-month follow-up (N = 15), small-to-large improvements (d = 0.24-1.53) continued for CBT plus BLT adolescents, with effects found for all measures. Significantly fewer adolescents receiving CBT plus BLT met DPSD criteria at post-treatment (WL = 82% vs. CBT plus BLT = 13%, P < 0.0001), yet 13% still met DSPD criteria at the 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: CBT plus BLT for adolescent DSPD is effective for improving multiple sleep and daytime impairments in the immediate and long-term. Studies evaluating the treatment effectiveness of each treatment component are needed. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: Australia-New Zealand Trials Registry Number: ACTRN12610001041044.