ZAKIR HUSAIN DELHI COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI

Psychology Practical
To enhance the body appreciation of girls post-intervention.

Aishani Dureja
BA(Hons) Psychology
20/1166

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AIM
To enhance the body appreciation of girls post-intervention.

BASIC CONCEPT
Applied social psychology can be explained as a branch of social
psychology. It mainly deals with the application of principles of social
psychology to varied fields. According to Schneider et. al (2012), social
psychology can be defined as a science to comprehend how individuals
relate, think, feel and influence each other. Thus, social psychology mainly
focuses on the social dimension of human behavior.
Concerning applied social psychology, it can be defined as a “ branch of
social psychology that draws on social psychology theories, principles,
methods and research evidence to contribute to
• the understanding of social and practical problems and
• the development of intervention strategies for improving the
functioning of individuals, groups, organizations, committees, and
societies concerning social and practical problems”(Schneider et. al,
2012, page 8)

The research in applied social psychology is important for understanding the

social issues and problems, developing suitable intervention strategies, and
evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention strategy (this can be termed
evaluative research). Applied social psychology can provide systematic and
scientific methods to understand the social issues and problems and then it
can also play a role in developing intervention strategies including the
development of effective social policies.

The above definition the focus is mainly on developing a better

understanding of the problems both social and practical and then developing
a suitable intervention strategy.

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 Oskamp and Schultz (1998) defined applied social psychology as
application of the constructs, principles, theories, intervention techniques,
research methods and findings of social psychology in order to develop a
comprehensive understanding of social problems in order to deal with them
effectively.

In the definition, construct can be explained as that psychological

entity that is defined in a clear and specific manner, principle can be
described as an explanation regarding varied psychological processes and
theory is description, explanation and prediction of an event that is
observable with the help of a set of principles that are integrated.

As a discipline, applied social psychology functions on the premise that

social problems are, at their heart, caused by human behavior. To understand
and change these problem behaviors, applied social psychologists conduct a
scientific examination of individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as
they pertain to a variety of social influences. Through their research, applied
social psychologists hope to offer practical suggestions for improving human
social behavior in areas ranging from workplace productivity to safer sexual
activity.

While research in basic social psychology often begins with scientific

curiosity, work in applied social psychology typically starts with the
identification of a specific social problem, such as teen pregnancy or hate
crimes. Applied social psychologists seek to understand and treat these social
maladies through the application of the theories and methods of social
psychology.

While basic social psychologists attempt to isolate the causal

relationships between a small number of specific variables that can be
carefully controlled in the lab, applied social psychologists work to identify

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and predict large-scale effects that can be used to design and implement
social programs.

Role of Applied Social Psychologist

1. Researcher: Applied social psychologists conduct researches on

social and practical issues and apply the findings for resolving
problems. They do so in different ways. Applied social psychologists
study the antecedents of behavior that causes social problems. They
also evaluate the effects of intervention on behavior, cognitions, social
problems and individual quality of life.

2. Consultant: As a consultant, applied social psychologists assist

individual, organizations, groups or communities to resolve particular
problems they are facing. They are concerned with training and
development, managing, coaching, public relations, marketing and
communication.

3. Policy Advisor: Applied social psychologists also take active part in

policy making by public and governmental agencies or business or
civic organizations. As a policy advisor, they advise policy makers on
ways to change behavior and cognitions to solve social problems.
They also assist agencies and organizations in designing intervention
programs.

4. Program designer: The applied social psychologists are also involved

in developing or improving interventions designed to find solutions for
social and practical problems.

5. Evaluation researcher: As an evaluation researcher, the applied social

psychologist applies the research methods of social science to evaluate

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 the process and outcomes of interventions such as social programs and
policies.

6. Action researcher: As an action researcher, the applied social

psychologist actively participates in a change situation while
simultaneously conducting research. Larger organizations or
institutions also take help of action researcher, guided by professional
researchers, to improve their strategies, practices and knowledge of the
environments within which they practice. They work with others to
propose a new course of action to help their community improve its
work practices. Thus, as an action researcher, the applied social
psychologist works closely with an organization or a community group
to resolve a particular problem.

7. Advocate: As an advocate, the applied social psychologist functions

within the political domain. According to Fisher (1982), “The advocate
uses his/her expertise to press for social change, usually in
collaboration with a specific group, lobby, or institution that is
working to change some aspect of the socio-political system

Interventions can be described as actions that are carried out in order to

facilitate change amongst individuals. They, thus focus on modification of
behavior, cognition, emotions, and so on. Lodzinsky, Motomura, and
Schneider (2012) defined intervention as “a strategy (or procedure) that is
intended to influence the behavior of people for the purpose of improving
their functioning with respect to some social or practical problem”.
Intervention can also be described as measures that are carried out in order to
bring about a change in behaviors, emotions, or feelings of the individual.
The focus of all the descriptions of intervention is on modification or
bringing about a change. And this change is in direction of alleviating a
social issue or problem so as to promote welfare in society. The goal or

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objective of intervention in applied social psychology is the same as that in
clinical psychology or industrial and organizational psychology, that is,
bringing about change in human behavior. Though, many interventions in
applied social psychology could be at a much greater scale and are targeted
toward larger groups and communities.

Types of Intervention
1. Personal intervention: These are interventions that are utilized by
individuals on day to day basis. A teacher may use certain
interventions while teaching certain topics in her classroom in order to
enhance learning in his/ her students.

2. Programmatic intervention: Such interventions are organized in order

to prevent, alleviate or eliminate the negative outcomes of social issues
and problems. Intervention for example can be carried out to create
awareness regarding reproductive health amongst adolescent students
in a school so as to promote healthy behavior amongst the students.

3. Trial intervention: In this, the intervention is carried out on a trial

basis. Trial interventions are also termed program efficacy studies as
they mainly focus on the effectiveness of the intervention. For
example, if an intervention is developed for school students to promote
a positive environmental attitude amongst them, then the intervention
is initially carried out on a trial basis, and based on the results obtained
the intervention is modified.

In the context of intervention, we also need to discuss about intervention

mapping. Intervention mapping includes various steps ranging from problem
identification to actual implementation and evaluation of the intervention. In
order to carry out an intervention, it is important that a through planning is
carried out. And this planning is not linear or one time process but it will take

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place repeatedly through the implementation and evaluation of the
intervention.

According to Oskamp and Schultz (1998), the steps involved in the design
and implementation of intervention are as follows:

1. Identification of Problem
2. Finding a Solution
3. Setting of the goal and intervention designing
4. Implementation

Any intervention that is implemented needs to be evaluated from time to time

so that suitable modifications can be made in it as per the requirement. Such
an evaluation is also relevant as when an intervention is put to test, an
empirical evidence of effectiveness of the intervention can be obtained. And
based on such evaluations theories can be developed or modified.

Process Evaluation: This evaluation focuses on the implementation of the

intervention programme on the target group as was planned. Thus, an
awareness programme with regard to HIV/ AIDS for adolescents in a college
will be evaluated based on whether the programme was implemented on the
adolescents in the college as was planned.

Outcome evaluation: The outcome evaluation denotes the evaluation of the

results of the intervention programme. This evaluation fuses on whether the
goals and objectives of the intervention were achieved or not.

Body image is the perception that a person has of their physical self and the
thoughts and feelings that result from that [Link] feelings can be
positive, negative or both, and are influenced by individual and
environmental factors. Body dissatisfaction (i.e., a negative attitude towards
one’s own physical appearance) is assumed to originate from a perceived

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discrepancy between the actual physical appearance (i.e., actual body image)
and the desired ideal state of the body (i.e., ideal body image). Body
dissatisfaction has been identified as one of the key factors for dieting
behavior, negative affect, and the causation and maintenance of eating
disorders.

One’s body image can be influenced many factors, including one’s parents,
peers, culture/media, or one’s past experiences. Understanding the influences
these various factors can have on body image can help shed a light on what
may be at the root of one’s negative body image and how to improve one’s
body image.

Parents: Children with parents who criticize their appearance, make

comments about their weight often, have strict rules surrounding food, or are
often critical of them are more likely to have poor body image. A child’s
body image is also greatly influenced by the comments their parents make
about their own bodies as children learn to reflect on their parent's own body
image

Peers: Research has shown that friend groups tend to have similar body
image concerns and members of friend groups who often discuss dieting,
weight, or appearance tend to have negative body image, Therefore, to
improve body image cultivating friendships that encourage one to feel good
about their body and asking friends to talk less about topics that harm one’s
body image, such as dieting or fat-shaming, can be helpful.

Culture and Media: Cultural ideals of bodies can heavily influence body
image and media often reflects these body ideals. Studies show that exposure
to images of idealized beauty leads to an increase in body dissatisfaction,
increase in depression, and lowers self-esteem. Images of ultra-thin, mostly
white, models in magazines, TV, advertisements, or social media can cause

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one to have negative feelings about their body or reinforce existing negative
feelings about one’s body. These images can make individuals feel have
negative feelings about their size, the color of their skin, or other physical
features that are often not seen in media targeting different topics as
mentioned in the intervention design previously.

The first issue was Self, which was larger than other components of the body.

The researcher's goal was to transform the subjects' self-perceptions and

make them realize that the Self is larger than an individual's physical
qualities. To do this, the researchers devised two short games involving a list
of characteristics defining themselves and their best friends. They were then
asked to categorize the characteristics as psychological or physical. The
findings revealed that a plethora of psychological characteristics was
employed. In light of this, the importance of psychological traits over
physical ones was emphasized, as well as the concept of the Self-being larger
than bodily features. This step was concluded with an advertisement by Dove
being shown which focused on the perception of women seeing themselves
as either beautiful or average, and how it changed for them.

Body image, discontent, and self-esteem are not only concerns for young
people during puberty and adolescence, but also for people throughout their
lives, albeit the form of the worries may alter over time. People with low
self-esteem, regardless of age or gender, are more likely to be dissatisfied
with their body size or shape. Because body image is such an important
element of a person's self-concept, it's no surprise that self-esteem and body
dissatisfaction are linked. (APA, 2020) (PsycINFO Database Record)

The second part was Healthy Body vs Attractive Body. The researchers
wanted to highlight the narrow line between attractive and healthy for the
subjects. With the use of informative data and statistics, the importance of

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nutritional value and the necessity of healthy eating habits were underlined.
An interview was conducted by the researchers themselves at a gym, during
which the gym's members were questioned whether they exercised to be
more appealing or healthier through a series of open-ended questions. The
interview tape was shown to the participants, and it was defined where
people desired to look more appealing and where people were motivated
primarily by the concept of health. The session was completed with some
real-life research and examples of why choosing health as a primary
motivator is a good idea. Research have talked about Health as a natural facet
of liveliness - both by definition and realization. The ancient Indians had
attributed the secret of” jivem shardah shatam” - a hundred years of
vigorous, healthy, happy and creative life - to the total harmony of the mode
of living with Nature and the spiritual inheritance of life.

The third phase was to call out the societal standards. Through the exhibition
of a street play, the researchers hoped to psycho-educate and sensitize the
participants to body image issues. Using real-world examples, the
researchers demonstrated how cultural standards and peer pressure influence
an individual, resulting in poorer self-esteem and poor body admiration. The
play concluded with a moral and an opening message to be tolerant of one's
own body, regardless of its shape and size.

Body image is defined as a person's perceptions, feelings, and thoughts about

his or her body and general physical appearance. Self-perceptions are crucial
to investigate since they might affect a person's psychological and physical
health. Studies have demonstrated that culture has a substantial impact on the
formation of beauty ideals, and that they differ for women from different
cultures.

The fourth phase was explaining the role of media in forming of self
perception narrowed down in the context of body image. The researchers

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intended to emphasize the impact of social media and the pressure it puts on
people's body image. Using real-life examples, the researchers demonstrated
the contrast between two people's lives and how they are both affected by it
in some manner. A brief comedy was utilised to highlight the disparity
between the two individuals, with the primary characters being a schoolgirl
and a woman whose job it is to be present on social media. The skit ended
with a wonderful message that reminded the audience of how filtered and
artificial the world of social media can be by giving a message to first start
loving themselves.

And lastly the extremes of unhealthy body image perception were discussed
in the form of eating disorders. Researchers gave a presentation and held a
conversation in which eating disorders were emphasised and the significance
of the same was explored. The types, symptoms, and therapies of eating
disorders, among other things, were defined. It was also discussed how
eating disorders were linked to body image difficulties. It was also revealed
how many the celebrities have been harmed by eating disorders and the
resulting body image difficulties. Finally, it was discussed how the Covid
pandemic exacerbated eating disorders and body image concerns.

College women are especially vulnerable to the effects of social media on

their body image as they acquire an attitude toward their bodies and embrace
the developmental changes that occur during puberty. According to a 2013
study, there is a link between the current rise in disordered eating and
excessive social media exposure. It examined how traditional advertising has
depicted women throughout history, as well as how this portrayal of the
feminine ideal has affected society's opinions on beauty and raised the rate of
disordered eating among college-aged girls.

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REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1. Nagar, I., & Virk, R. (2017) In their paper, looked at the impact of
acute media images on a group of young adult Indian women. To
further understand how media influences body image, a 2 (intervention
group) 2 (time) mixed-group design was adopted, in which half of the
participants were shown thin-ideal media images and the other half
were shown control photos. At the start of the study, all participants
gave their informed consent, and confidentiality and privacy were
assured and preserved. All participants provided pretreatment data for
all three measures–Figure Rating Scale, Ideal Body Stereotype Scale,
and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The study's findings show that thin-
ideal internalisation has increased significantly indicating the role of
media and perception of a body image.

2. Ganesan, S., Ravishankar, S., & Ramalingam, S. (2018) In their

paper, Are body image concerns influencing our adolescents?, The
proportion of females who are unhappy with their bodies, the
relationship between numerous characteristics and body image
dissatisfaction, and the weight-control practises of adolescent college
girls were investigated. In Coimbatore, 1200 college ladies were
studied in a cross-sectional study. Data on numerous parameters linked
with body image dissatisfaction were collected using a semi-structured
questionnaire. The subjects' body mass index (BMI) was determined.
The findings revealed that 77.6% of the females were dissatisfied with
their body image. Body image dissatisfaction was found to be
substantially connected with characteristics such as a higher BMI,
social pressure to be thin, and depression. Eating small meals and
skipping meals were the most popular weight-loss strategies. Weight

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 management behaviours were mostly motivated by the desire to
improve one's look and body form.

3. Yager and Dea (2010) in their study examined the impact of two
interventions on body image, eating disorder risk and excessive
exercise among 170 (65% female) trainee health education and
physical education (HE&PE) teachers of mean (standard deviation)
age 21.6 (2.3) who were considered an ‘at-risk’ population for poor
body image and eating disorders. Intervention 2 produced the best
results, with males improving significantly in self-esteem, body image
and drive for muscularity. Intervention 2 females improved
significantly on Eating Disorders Inventory Drive for Thinness, Eating
Disorder Examination and excessive exercise.

4. Vasudeva B. (2013) in his study titled Body Image Dissatisfaction in

The Youth of India: And the Effects on Self-Esteem examined the
impact of body image dissatisfaction on an individual’s self-esteem
and to examine whether there is a gender difference in this case or not.
The research proved that whenever there’ll be higher body image
dissatisfaction, it’ll result in less self-esteem. Other than that, it stated
that females have a higher mean score in body image dissatisfaction
than and males, therefore, the men have a higher mean score of self-
esteem than females.

5. Gupta A. and Srinivasan A. (2021) in their study The effect of body

image on mental health among persons in India was investigated in
their study titled Connection between body image and mental health.
The results revealed that approximately 40% of our target audience
suffers from mental health issues as a result of their body image, that
approximately 60% of those who took part in the survey felt under
confident when comparing their bodies to others, and that

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 approximately 40% of the target audience has underfed themselves in
order to achieve their ideal body type.

6. Halliwell, E., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2014) in their study Testing a

dissonance body image intervention among young girls reported a
preliminary examination of whether a dissonance intervention is also
effective when delivered in a school setting to 12- and 13-year-old
girls in the United Kingdom. Results showed that in contrast to the
control group, girls in the intervention condition reported significant
reductions in body dissatisfaction and internalization of a thin body
ideal post-intervention. In addition, compared with the control group,
girls in the intervention condition showed increased resilience to
negative media effects 1-month post-intervention.

7. Halliwell, E., Dawson, K., & Burkey, S. (2019) in their study A

randomized experimental evaluation of a yoga-based body image
intervention. evaluated a brief yoga-based body image intervention
which incorporates themes specifically tailored to focus on positive
body image. Results showed that, compared to controls, participants in
the yoga condition reported significant increases in body appreciation,
body connectedness, body satisfaction, and positive mood at posttest
and at 4-week follow-up. These findings add to existing evidence that
yoga can improve women’s body image and positive mood.

8. Huang, J. et. Al (2007) in their study Body Image and Self-Esteem

among Adolescents Undergoing an Intervention Targeting Dietary and
Physical Activity Behaviors examined the body image and self-esteem
of adolescents participating in the PACE study, a randomized
controlled trial of a 1-year behavioral intervention targeting physical
activity, sedentary, and dietary behaviors. Self-esteem and body

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 satisfaction did not worsen as a result of participating in the PACE
intervention for either boys or girls whether or not they lost or
maintained their weight or gained weight. Girls assigned to the PACE
intervention who experienced weight reduction or weight maintenance
at either 6 or 12 months reported improvements in body image
satisfaction over time compared with subjects who had experienced
weight gain during the 12-month study period.

9. Dhillon, M.D. & Deepak, S. (2017) in their study A Body-Image

based media literacy intervention for Indian adolescent females
examined the effectiveness of a brief body-image based media literacy
intervention with Indian adolescent females aged 12-14 years. Body
satisfaction means of the experimental and control group were not
significantly different prior to the intervention (t=1.004, p=.161).
However a significant difference was seen after the intervention, with
the experimental group reporting higher levels of body satisfaction
(t=2.39, p=.010). Participants in the experimental group also showed
high awareness of the artificial nature of media images.

10. Garbett, K. et. Al (2021) in their study titled Acceptability and

preliminary efficacy of a school-based body image intervention in
urban India looked at the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of
Dove Confident Me, a culturally customised school-based body image
intervention, in metropolitan India. At the school level, two private
schools in New Delhi were randomly assigned to either the five-
session intervention led by trained psychologists or lessons-as-usual
(control). Year 7 pupils (N = 166; Mage = 11.9 years) took part in the
study. Acceptability evaluation was supplied by students, facilitators,
and watching teachers. The degree of trustworthiness was determined.
Students performed pre-intervention, post-intervention, and two-month

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 follow-up body image and related assessments in a classroom
environment. The intervention was well-liked (73.7%) and well-
understood (84.2%) by the majority of pupils. The learning objectives
were met, according to facilitators (90 percent) and observing teachers
(70 percent). The facilitator's competence and adherence were both
rated as excellent. The results showed that self-esteem has improved.
significantly among intervention students at post-intervention and
follow-up (Cohen's ds = .45-.46), relative to control students. Positive
affect also improved at post-intervention (d = .58). No significant
effects on internalisation, life engagement, eating pathology, self-
esteem, or negative affect emerged.

RATIONALE

Body image is considered a central aspect of the self and a factor

influencing considerably people's psychological health. Recently an
increasing number of research studies focus on body image because of its
alleged association with eating disorders and the widespread prevalence of
body dissatisfaction. Until recently negative body image was considered a
problem which influences females much more than males, not only because
men base their social status on other areas but also because the male pictures
portrayed in the media were comparable with the average male.
Nevertheless, today there is enough evidence that men have started to occupy
themselves extensively with their body image and that body dissatisfaction is
growing substantially among young males. Consequently, we could assume
that there is a change from the view that body image is a characteristic
female concern to the view that it is a central aspect of the psychological
function of both men and women. The thin ideal for women and the muscular
body ideal for men, as well as the degree to which young people feel
satisfied with their bodies has consequences on their self-concept, self-

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esteem and their social behavior, as well as their physical health. Therefore, it
is important to understand the problems associated with body image not only
for intervention efforts but for successful prevention as well.

This intervention study aims to enhance the body appreciation in

female college students. Since there is an existing research gap in this area
with a specific focus on college-age students, it becomes all the more
important to explore ways in which an intervention can be designed to
promote positive body image. This study is an attempt to design an effective
intervention and help female college students suffering from body image
issues develop positive body image.

HYPOTHESIS

H0: There will be no change in body appreciation of female college students’

post-intervention.

HA: There will be a significant change in body appreciation of female college

students’ post-intervention.

METHODOLOGY:

TOOL

Body Appreciation Scale 2 : The 10-item BAS-2 uses a 5-point Likert scale
with responses ranging from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always). Higher scores indicate
higher BA. To calculate one’s final BA score, item responses are summed,
resulting in a score between 5 and 50.

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY

Previous research found a unidimensional factor structure, along with strong

internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.97), construct validity, and test-retest
reliability (r = 0.90) in community and college samples of men and women.

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Additionally, the internal consistency of the BAS-2 in the present study was
excellent (Cronbach’s α = 0.954, McDonald’s ω = 0.956).

DESIGN

The intervention was done and pre-and post-intervention scores were

calculated for the same group of female students.

SAMPLE

Undergraduate female students from freshmen year were chosen as sample

for the intervention. This was all done on a sample size of 30 female
students.

PROCEDURE

Pre-intervention phase

The baseline measure data was collected from March 3rd, 2022 –
March 8th, 2022. The data was collected with the help of Google forms using
Body Appreciation Scale-2.

Designing and Implementation of Intervention

The students recognized the research problem and chose to create an

intervention to address the present problem of excessive screen use. As a
result, this was a participatory study in which the participants were involved
in the planning, design, and implementation of the intervention.

The intervention involved an offline session which included various

presentations such as:

1. Societal Standards and Peer Pressure.

2. Healthy Body vs Attractive Body

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 3. Self is greater than other aspects of body

4. Role of Media

5. Eating Disorders.

Post-Intervention.

The post-intervention data was collected from March 14th, 2022 –

March h, 2022. Similar to pre-intervention data collection method. Post
intervention data was collected with the help of Google forms using Body
Appreciation Scale-2.

Analysis

Inferential statistics was used to analyze the data that was obtained
during the pre-intervention and post-intervention phases. Dependent t-test
was used to assess the significance of difference between the pre-intervention
data and the post-intervention data. For this, the Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0 was used.

RESULT

The pre-intervention and post-intervention data was compared using

the dependent t-test. The findings of the study are summarized in Table 01.

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 Pre- Intervention Post Intervention
____________________________________________
Mean Standard Mean Standard
(M) Deviation (M) Deviation t-value
(SD) (SD)

Body
Appreciation 49.83 8.75 56.30 5.57 -4.89
Scale- 2

The mean of Body Appreciation Scale-2 (preintervention) was found

to be 49.83, with a standard deviation of 8.75. The mean of Body
Appreciation Scale-2 (post-intervention) was found to be 56.30, with a
standard deviation of 5.57. The dependent t-test gave a t-value of 5.40,
hence, we find that the t value is higher than the critical value, i.e., 2.045 of
probability at the .05 level. This means that the H0 of no difference is rejected
at Alpha value of 0.05 and the HA (there will be a significant change in body
appreciation of female college-students post-intervention) is accepted.

INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION

The aim of the study was to enhance body appreciation in female

college students post intervention. The study begins by measuring the pre-
intervention mobile screen time of college students. As shown in Table 01,
there is a significant difference between the pre-intervention and post-
intervention data, suggesting that the intervention thus designed was
successful in enhancing the body image of female college students.

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 The study followed a participatory research model, where the
participants themselves were a part of the planning, designing, and
implementation of the intervention. This gave the study an added benefit of
being highly cut to fit the demographic of the study. The study was
customized and designed in a manner that catered to the specific problems of
the college students. For the most part, the intervention design was positively
responded to.

Studies show that college-aged females are particularly concerned with

the way their bodies look, which consequently impacts the mental health of
female students. (Ganesan, S., Ravishankar, S., & Ramalingam, S. 2018)
Focusing on papers, midterms, and other assignments can be hard enough on
its own, but with the added challenge of one not being comfortable in one’s
own skin, college life becomes even more challenging. The intervention was
designed in such a manner to cater to this issue.

Body dissatisfaction is prevalent among female college students and is

associated with adverse and long-lasting impacts upon physical health and
psychosocial functioning. In light of these negative consequences, a large
number of interventions have been designed to improve body image, mostly
targeted at them. At this developmental phase, colleges are an ideal setting
for promoting positive body image. They offer the possibility of reaching
large groups of young people from differing backgrounds and provide a
prime opportunity for discussing peer relationships and influences on body
image. Thus, it becomes all the more important to explore ways in which an
intervention can be designed to enhance the body appreciation in individuals.

Studies show that as many as 40% of college females have eating

disorders or serious problems relating to body image. (Gupta A. and
Srinivasan A. 2021) That means two out of every five women on college
campuses are not able to get the most out of their educational experience.

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Furthermore, the number of women that are unhappy with their bodies is at
an all-time high of 91%, with 58% of college females feeling pressure to be a
certain weight. This is incredibly dangerous, because poor body image
contributes to poor mental health, and can consequently interfere with
learning. Studies show that people with negative body images have higher
levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidality than those without. Bad body
thoughts can cause low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and make one feel
as though their body is inadequate.

The college transition can be very difficult because it can often be very
different from what an individual may have experienced in previous years of
education; the introduction of a new setting, new people, and new mentalities
can also influence one’s body image. Media also plays an important role in
aggravating such unhealthy body images (Nagar, I., & Virk, R. 2017). In an
article on Her Campus, one student claims that “college does not promote a
healthy body image because there is so much fear over how easily one can
gain weight.” There is social pressure to consume unhealthy dining hall food,
party on weekends, and drink alcohol, yet at the same time there is a pressure
to stay fit and not gain the dreaded “Freshman Fifteen.” These contribute to
the anxiety women feel during their college experiences, and can cause them
to waver in their studies because of having poor mental health.

These statistics given demonstrate some of the ways women’s college

experiences and self-esteem can be affected, and can cause such a heavy
burden that it makes it hard for them to function on a day-to-day basis.
Women entering college are in a critical age group in terms of body image,
and so it is important that they are provided with resources that can help
them to feel comfortable and confident on their college campuses. The
intervention was designed keeping in mind all these issues mentioned above

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and bringing in solutions to promote positive body and enhancing body
appreciation.

LIMITATION

Though the current study provides various solutions about enhancing

boy appreciation, certain limitations must be acknowledged:

Small Sample: First, because the current study was done on a relatively
narrow demography, its findings may not be generalizable (30 undergraduate
students from the first year of the Psychology Department). The size of the
target population was not very large (30), however, it is justified as a lot of
research was needed to design each step of the intervention.

Time Limitation: Second, because this research was done as part of a

semester-long course, it was time-limited and had to be completed in a
shorter (than optimal) period of time. The post-intervention data were
collected immediately after the intervention, so this could have masked the
true effectiveness of the study. Also, the post-intervention data was obtained
right after the intervention, thus, the real effectiveness of the research may
have been obscured.

Personal Bias: The study used a participatory research style, which might
have incorporated some personal biases. Although considerable care was
made to only use and collect data that was objectively and accurately
acquired, to reach the final results.

IMPLICATION OF THE STUDY

The present study has applications in a variety of situations and

settings, since, in today’s modern world, there is increase in mental health

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issues due to Body Image dissatisfaction. Thus, there is a need for more
interventions and studies in this field.

This study can be modified and customized to fit its target

demographic. It can be applied in the case of children, adolescents and adults
who have a high usage of phones

In contrast to a broad preventive approach, intervention for promoting

body positivity can also target those who are known to need such an
intervention, such as women with eating disorders. Eating disorders are
notoriously difficult to treat once established, and any intervention that
contributes to a weakening of the system is valuable.

Developing a healthy body image can be harder for young people with
special needs, especially if their bodies are physically disabled or cause them
pain and difficulty. This study can be used with that demography.

Adults in their workplace may suffer from body image issues. When
employees are suffering from poor mental health, their capacity to be
productive and social at work are often hindered. Thus, this study is useful
with that demography also.

SUGGESTIONS

Some suggestions for the future work on the present study include:

The study can be modified to be conducted in an online mode or in combined

mode, wherein intervention activities like the orientation and the session
groups could be done with the help of social media activities or online
sessions to cater to larger population.

The participants could be outside-participants (i.e., participants who do

not design and implement the intervention, unlike the present study which

24
followed the participatory research model). Further, one could draw a
comparison between these two situations for the better effectiveness: external
participants vs. internal participants.

CONCLUSION

The aim of the study was to enhance the body appreciation of female
college students’ post-intervention. Following the intervention, it was found
that there was a significant difference between the pre-intervention and post-
intervention data collected using the Body Appreciation Scale-2. Thereby,
leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis (H0: There will be no change in
body appreciation of female college students’ post-intervention.) and
retention of the alternative hypothesis (HA: There will be a significant change
in body appreciation of female college students’ post-intervention.). The
present intervention study designed to enhance body appreciation was
therefore successful for the given demographic and set up.

25
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