Two Eating Disorder Preventive Interventions Reduce Attentional Biases in Body-Dissatisfied University Women: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: This cluster randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of participation in the Body Project-a cognitive-dissonance-based preventive intervention that reduces self-reported body dissatisfaction-for reducing body-dissatisfaction-related attentional biases. We hypothesized that women in a Body Project condition would show a greater reduction in attentional biases to weight-related images and words at postintervention than women in a wait-list control condition. Method: Body-dissatisfied university women (N = 168; M-age = 20.50 +/- 3.37 years; 42.0% White; M-BMI = 23.08 +/- 4.45 kg/m(2)) were randomly assigned to a Body Project, media psychoeducation (i.e., active control), or wait-list control condition. We assessed attentional biases via eye-gaze tracking and body satisfaction using the Body Shape Questionnaire, at baseline and postintervention. Results: Self-reported outcomes from previous literature were replicated. Compared to wait-list, Body Project participation reduced attention to images of thin models (ps < .05; ds = .19, .24), but not to weight-related words. Compared to wait-list, the media psychoeducation condition reduced attention to fat-related images and words (ds = .17, .18). Conclusions: This study, which replicates previous self-report findings, is the first to find that two preventive interventions reduced an objective outcome (attentional bias to weight-related images) in body-dissatisfied women. What is the public health significance of this article? This study shows that programs that either induce cognitive dissonance or promote critical understanding of how the media portray women can reduce maladaptive attentional biases related to body weight in women who are dissatisfied with their bodies. This reduction in attentional bias may reduce risk for body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.