Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Aug 9, 2022
Open Peer Review Period: Aug 9, 2022 - Aug 16, 2022
Date Accepted: Oct 19, 2022
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
A 9-day mobile health application improves body image and self-compassion in young adults - A randomised controlled trial with a 4-week follow-up
ABSTRACT
Background:
Body image concerns are prevalent among young adults and digital mobile health (mHealth) applications are cost-effective and scalable interventions.
Objective:
To examine the effectiveness of a mHealth application in improving body image and self-compassion in young adults
Methods:
This randomised controlled trial (RCT) examined the effectiveness of a self-guided mHealth application in improving body image and self-compassion in university students. Participants (N=310) were randomized to a body image and self-compassion 9-day self-guided mHealth application (N=149), and to an active-waitlist control group (N=161), where participants completed a similarly structured 9-day program with daily brief exercises on cooperation.
Results:
The intervention group reported significant reductions in body dissatisfaction, and improvements in body appreciation and self-compassion, as compared to the active wait-list control groups. Effects were maintained at 4-week follow-up for females, but not in males. Body image risk factors were also significantly reduced for females at post-intervention, and at 4-week follow-up, as compared to the active wait-list control group.
Conclusions:
The current study provides preliminary evidence for a self-guided mHealth application in improving body image concerns in young adults. Future studies should include longer follow-ups, and examine its effects in the wider populations of young adults. Clinical Trial: This RCT was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Registration number: NCT04977973).
Citation
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Copyright
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