• Implementing the Body Project...

*Result*: Implementing the Body Project eating disorder prevention program in high schools, colleges, and universities: An implementation guide.

Title:
Implementing the Body Project eating disorder prevention program in high schools, colleges, and universities: An implementation guide.
Authors:
Shah S; Stanford University, USA., Ramakrishnan R; Stanford University, USA., Nayak S; University of California, Santa Cruz, USA., Krish S; Stanford University, USA., Xi S; Stanford University, USA., Stice E; Stanford University, USA. Electronic address: estice@stanford.edu.
Source:
Eating behaviors [Eat Behav] 2026 Jan; Vol. 60, pp. 102069. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 07.
Publication Type:
Journal Article
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: Pergamon Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101090048 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-7358 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14710153 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Eat Behav Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Publication: [New York, NY] : Pergamon
Original Publication: New York, NY : Pergamon : Elsevier Science, c2000-
MeSH Terms:
Feeding and Eating Disorders*/prevention & control , Program Development*/methods , Body Image*/psychology , Schools*, Students/psychology ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Universities ; Female ; Peer Group
Contributed Indexing:
Keywords: Colleges; Eating disorders; High schools; Implementation; Prevention; Universities
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20260114 Date Completed: 20260220 Latest Revision: 20260220
Update Code:
20260221
DOI:
10.1016/j.eatbeh.2026.102069
PMID:
41534226
Database:
MEDLINE

*Further Information*

*Eating disorder onset peaks during adolescence, and only 20 % of impacted individuals receive treatment, making prevention in high schools, colleges, and universities a public health priority. The Body Project is the leading evidence-based eating disorder prevention program, showing effectiveness across delivery modalities (peer vs. clinician-led, in-person vs. virtual) and diverse populations. This selective prevention program targets high-risk adolescent girls/women experiencing body image concerns. Over 350 colleges and universities have adopted the Body Project, yet high school implementation is limited. To our knowledge, no papers have examined the most effective strategies for implementing the Body Project in high schools, colleges, and university settings. Co-authored by high school and college peer educators with a Body Project developer, this guide outlines best practices for Body Project implementation by drawing upon existing academic literature, experiences piloting the program in high schools, and collaborations with partners to expand usage in colleges and universities. Findings suggest the most effective strategies include working with community partners, including clubs and peer educator programs, school counselors and clinicians, and community wellness hubs, such as nonprofits. Mission alignment and internal champion identification support implementation. Bottom-up processes (e.g., pilot trials or "super group" formation) or top-down processes (e.g., garnering support from school district administrators) can facilitate broad-scale implementation. Facilitator training is achieved through a train-the-trainer (TTT) model or self-training via the Body Project website. Future research should explore Body Project implementation in hospitals, TTT model feasibility in high schools, and increasing Body Project adoption in high-risk cohorts.
(Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)*

*Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.*