"The Healthy Body Image" (HBI) Program: A Program to Promote a Positive Body Image

Too many Norwegian adolescents experience severe body dissatisfaction (40-70 %), and strive to accomplish the "perfect body". At the same time, only 50 % meet the government's recommendations on physical activity and intake of fruits and vegetables. Also, 14-24 % has unhealthy sleeping habits. Optimizing these lifestyle factors is associated with physical and psychological health. These factors, along with the pressure to obtain the "perfect" body, are threatening the adolescent's physical and psychological health, jfr. Meld St nr 19. It is now a need for knowledge on how the investigators can contribute to promote positive body experience among the adolescents. It has recently, through a controlled study on elite youth athletes at Norwegian sports high schools, been shown that it is possible to change eating habits, improve body image and reduce new cases of eating disorder. It is now desirable to test an adapted program through a school-based program at regular Norwegian high school students (12th grade). Today, no controlled, school-based intervention studies with long-term follow-up have been conducted. The main aim of this project is to investigate if it is possible, through a school-based intervention program (Healthy Body Intervention), to promote positive body image, increase physical activity level, and healthy eating and sleeping habits in both boys and girls at Norwegian high schools. The intervention program will contribute with new evidence-based knowledge on the effect of an adapted health-promoting program.